In early October, Venezuela’s illegitimate National Constituent Assembly (ANC, in Spanish) handed dictator Nicolás Maduro a law that enables him to omit or “disregard” compliance with other laws for the purpose of circumventing sanctions imposed by the international community and bolstering foreign investment. The so-called Anti-blockade Law for National Development [ … ]
Transnational Threats
Do Latin American Waters Continue to Fall Prey to China’s Fishing?
On October 13, I presented work on foreign deepwater fishing fleets in Latin America, to a virtual event held by the highly respected World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL). The event was held as 340 fishing vessels, mostly Chinese, moved from the Galápagos Islands, where they were believed to have illegally fished in a United Nations World [ … ]
Peru Establishes Command to Counter Narcotrafficking, Terrorism in VRAEM
The Peruvian government has taken a new step toward pacifying the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers Valley (VRAEM, in Spanish), by creating a command combining the Peruvian Armed Forces and the National Police (PNP, in Spanish) to respond to narcotrafficking and terrorism in the vast region, the Ministry of Defense [ … ]
Honduras Seeks to Disrupt Cocaine Trafficking Coming from Venezuela
On October 21, the Honduran Air Force, upon receiving intelligence from Colombia, intercepted a narco-aircraft in Brus Laguna municipality, Gracias a Dios department, coming from Venezuela, the Honduran Office of the Attorney General said in a statement. In total, authorities counted more than 200 kilograms of cocaine that the aircraft [ … ]
Colombian ELN Rebel Commander Killed in Military Operation
Commander Uriel, one of the main leaders of Colombia’s left-wing National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels, was killed during a military operation, President Iván Duque announced on October 25. “This is a particularly important blow [to the ELN] because one of the most visible figures of this terrorist organization has fallen,” [ … ]
China’s Development Projects Export Environmental Devastation
The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) state-owned companies are destroying the environment in countries around the world, one corrupt infrastructure project at a time. The PRC is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases and mercury pollution and the leading consumer of illegal wildlife and timber products. And the PRC’s [ … ]
The Two Choices for Venezuela’s Future
As the fraudulent December 6 elections raise questions about the future of Venezuela, one thing remains clear: Venezuelans cannot have democracy while an illegitimate authoritarian regime is in power, says the U.S. Department of State. “Many of Venezuela’s most popular politicians are not permitted to run in the election, opposition [ … ]
As Fraudulent Election Nears, Maduro Cracks Down On Journalists
Ahead of the unconstitutional and fraudulent December 6 parliamentary elections in Venezuela, the illegitimate regime of Nicolás Maduro is cracking down on journalists. The Venezuelan constitution protects freedom of expression, forbids censorship, and guarantees access to information. However, Venezuela has fallen 31 places since 2014 in the World Press Freedom [ … ]
El Salvador Seizes 1.2 Tons of Cocaine in One Day
Salvadoran authorities seized 1.2 tons of cocaine during two simultaneous operations on October 12, 2020. It was the largest seizure in 10 years in the fight against international narcotrafficking, said Rogelio Rivas, Salvadoran minister of Justice and Public Security. “The Antinarcotics Division [...] and the National Civil Police have dealt [ … ]
Interim President Guaidó Calls for Referendum to Reject Regime’s Fraudulent Parliamentary Elections in December
Venezuelan Interim President Juan Guaidó has called for a referendum (popular consultation or the People’s Vote) that will take place in parallel with the December 6 parliamentary elections promoted by the illegitimate Nicolás Maduro regime. Horacio Medina, a member of the Popular Consultation Organizing Committee, said that the event will [ … ]
OAS: Elections in Venezuela Will Not Be Free and Fair
The General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) passed a resolution October 21 declaring that the illegitimate Maduro regime’s December 6 elections in Venezuela will be fraudulent. “We all know there is more work to do to uphold our hemisphere as a hemisphere of freedom,” U.S. Secretary of [ … ]
Dominican Republic Seizes 1.7 Tons of Cocaine
The Dominican Republic’s security forces stepped up their operations to disrupt transnational criminal organizations. From September 16 to October 17, 2020, authorities seized more than 1.7 tons of cocaine in four operations led by the Dominican National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD, in Spanish), with the support of the Dominican Navy [ … ]