Ecuador has been intensifying the deployment of its Armed Forces in nine of the provinces most affected by illegal mining, the Interior Ministry said in early May. Although authorities acknowledge that this illicit activity exists throughout the country, the military is focusing on the provinces of Napo, Orellana, Esmeraldas, Zamora [ … ]
Transnational Threats
Peru Highlights Women’s Participation and Human Rights
Lima hosted the Human Rights Initiative Conference, June 13-15, organized by the Peruvian Armed Forces’ Center for International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, sponsored by U.S. Southern Command’s (SOUTHCOM) Human Rights Office and the Center for Human Rights Studies, Training, and Analysis (CECADH). Military leaders and human rights experts from [ … ]
UNITAS LXIV Begins in Colombia
U.S. Navy and Marine forces arrived in Cartagena in support of UNITAS LXIV, the world’s longest-running multinational maritime exercise in the world, which started July 11, 2023. The Colombian Navy is hosting this year's UNITAS, which features 26 warships/vessels, three submarines, 25 aircraft (fixed wing/helicopter), and approximately 7,000 people from [ … ]
Former Hong Kong Lawmaker Says China Using ‘Terror’ to Muzzle Dissent Overseas
China’s Foreign Ministry has told Australia to stop sheltering fugitives and “stop lending support for anti-China” elements. In Canberra, Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong said she has deep concerns over the arrest warrants for two Australia-based Hong Kong democracy campaigners. Beijing accuses them of “anti-China activities aimed at destabilizing [ … ]
Ortega-Murillo Regime Cancels the Red Cross
On June 2, the Nicaraguan Parliament approved a bill for the creation of the White Cross, attached to the Ministry of Health, after shutting down the Nicaraguan Red Cross (CRN), on the grounds that it violated its “principles of impartiality and neutrality” during the social protests of 2018, and threatened [ … ]
Ortega-Murillo Regime Uses New Repression and Control Methods
Police raids carried out throughout Nicaragua in May resulted in the arrests of some 60 opponents of the Daniel Ortega-Rosario Murillo regime. After being convicted within hours in summary trials without legal defense for “conspiracy to undermine national integrity and propagation of fake news,” the detainees were released on parole [ … ]
Russia Seeks to Divide Latin American Countries
Russia’s new foreign policy concept, published on March 31, outlines ambitious plans to destabilize peace and order in the Western Hemisphere and create rivalries among Latin American countries to further widen the gap between states already aligned with the Kremlin’s ambitions. “This document is the result of its [Russia’s] invasion [ … ]
China and Venezuela Strengthen Their Relationship
China and Venezuela continue to deepen their relations, this time during a meeting between Nicolás Maduro and a delegation from the Communist Party of China (CPC) in mid-May. Maduro received the senior Chinese officials at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas with a view to deepening political relations between both countries. [ … ]
Colombian Security Forces Steadfast in the Destruction of Illicit Economies
“Seize the maximum amount of cocaine possible on the seas, in the ports, and on the rivers,” was the order Colombian President Gustavo Petro gave the Colombian Navy on June 2, during a promotion ceremony for naval officers. “We have to destroy illicit economies and the Navy has a great [ … ]
Venezuela: What Does the Resumption of the ICC Prosecutor’s Investigation Imply?
The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will continue to investigate the Venezuelan regime for alleged crimes against humanity, which would make it possible to establish “specific” and “individual” responsibilities for the facts, human rights experts said. On June 27, the Pre-Trial Chamber authorized ICC Prosecutor [ … ]
China Refuses to Renegotiate Suriname’s Unpayable Debt
Suriname, the smallest country in South America, has been going through serious financial predicament, as it is unable to pay the onerous interest rates on its loans from the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank). Beijing’s intransigence prevents it from renegotiating its debt. As a consequence, the South American [ … ]
Huawei 5G, Deadly for Democracy in Latin America
Chinese telecommunications company Huawei and its fifth-generation (5G) wireless technology represent a very high risk for democracy in Latin America, because of the company’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Euclides Tapia, professor of International Relations at the University of Panama, told Diálogo on June 11. “The issue is [ … ]