The last few days have been remarkable in the eyes of many in the West who see certain countries or rebel groups as the main source of conflict internationally. Despite Iran pushing against Israel and the US over its nuclear program, and Syrian rebels being crushed in Homs, the last few days resulted in North […]
The National Interest just published a piece I wrote on the ailing Iran-Venezuela alliance. Both countries are reeling from economic mismanagement and geopolitical isolation: Led by Undersecretary Stuart Levey, the U.S. Treasury has waged a global campaign to stop banks from laundering money for Iran’s nuclear program in recent years, and international sanctions are slowly […]
For Prime Minister Garry Conille, nearly five months of growing political tension sufficed to provoke his final decision. “I feel obligated to present my resignation as Prime Minister of the Government of Haiti,” he wrote to President Michel Martelly and leaders of the National Assembly. “Please, Mr. President,” he concluded, “Accept the assurance of my […]
Eyeing the headlines, Americans can be forgiven for seeing the US-Mexican border as little more than a putrid cheese cloth: immigrants keep getting through and the drug violence just barely keeps out. Going ‘beyond the border’, as the aptly named Great Decisions 2012 episode does, offers a more refined view of Mexico. Of course, Mexico […]
Stars Align to Help Haitian Schools STARS Alliance Computing Students Opt for Alternative 2012 Spring Break CHARLOTTE, NC – XXXX – A group of 12 undergraduate and Ph.D. students from UNC Charlotte’s College of Computing and Informatics and four other universities won’t be thinking sun and sand during this year’s Spring Break. Accompanied by six […]
The G20 Finance Ministers meeting to take place this weekend in Mexico City comes at a time where Europe has begun to reduce their crisis, the US and its President is singing along with better economic numbers and BRICS nations continue to roll on despite slower growth in Brazil and inflationary issues in China. What […]
Before I head off to New Haven for Convergencias 2012, hosted by the Yale Mexican Students Association, I will reflect on 5 themes that define the inner-workings of America’s relationship with our Southern neighbor: 1. Trade between these two neighbors is symbiotic. In 2010, mutual trade reached $362 billion. As I discussed in my Great […]
Dassault Aviation is well known for being the firm that lead France’s military export push since its inception in the late 1940s. The formation of several state aviation companies tasked with rebuilding France’s air force and civil aviation infrastructure after the Second World War re-engaged France’s great tradition in aviation that began with some the […]
What will Venezuela look like after Hugo Chávez’s reign? Given the secrecy surrounding Chávez’s cancer status and the growing popularity of Henrique Capriles, Chavez’s rival in the October 7 election, the question is more relevant now than anytime since 2003. Last week Wikistrat, a geostrategic consulting firm I am associated with, published a piece on […]
With the second anniversary of the earthquake in the rearview mirror, Haiti’s grand cultural celebration resurfaced triumphantly through Jacmel’s mesmerizing launch of the 2012 Carnival season, though not without political drama. Newspaper Le Matin called it a true popular jubilation and an explosion of madness. Radio Kiskeya reporters witnessed “a massive participation in Jacmel’s Carnival,” […]
Brazil has been affected in recent weeks by suggestions of a slow down in Brazil’s usually hot economy. Inflation in China also has received some attention. The result was that some market studies have been done on the BRICS and emerging economies showing that countries like Mexico, South Africa and Vietnam are doing quite well […]
Carlos Slim is well known in Latin America and abroad as one of, if not the wealthiest CEO in the world. He was even mentioned on the Colbert Report this past week introducing him to the American public as someone who’s net worth trumps that of Mitt Romney as well as that of Donald Trump. […]
Part two Please, read part one here first: Occupy Haiti (I) Armageddon, two years on… Reconstruction year 2012… “There was hope that the quake would bring an opportunity to break the country’s fatal cycle of struggle, catastrophe and indifference,” wrote the AP’s Jonathan M. Katz on the quake’s first anniversary last year. “But promises were […]
While the eyes of the American public are often turned toward the Middle East or Asia on foreign policy matters, America’s interaction with Mexico is perhaps the most ingrained foreign policy relationship. The Foreign Policy Association (FPA) emphasizes this partnership in its 2012 Great Decisions Television Series, aired by PBS. In Episode 3 – “Beyond […]
Latin America’s technocrats spent the second half of 2011 on mushy footing, unsure what effect the euro zone crisis might have on the region and afraid that China might experience a “hard landing.” Now some of the region’s wonks are expressing more confidence. “Latin America has never been better equipped to move forward,” said Guillermo […]