Category Archives: Panama

On Extraditions and Colombian-Panamanian Ties

By Eliot Brockner | Published: January 4, 2012
Much has been made about Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos’ success at mending relations with his neighbors to the east and south. Rightly so. Given the difficult situation he inherited from his predecessor, this is no small feat. But Santos’ newest diplomatic test may now come from the north. On Jan. 3, Panamanian Foreign Minister Roberto Henriquez [...]
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Ideas, not money, will make Central America safer

By Eliot Brockner | Published: June 24, 2011
Boz has a great point about the fresh funding headed to Central America: I think a lesson is that there is no amount of money that the US could put on the table and no amount of attention the US could give that would guarantee Central America’s success in fighting organized crime. The US is not [...]
Also posted in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Latin America, nicaragua | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Media’s Role in International Diplomacy

By Eliot Brockner | Published: May 14, 2011
Two recent stories out of Latin America highlight some of the stranger ways the media plays a role in international diplomacy. The first is minor. Living in Peru blog has an article on a recent diplomatic dispute between Bolivia and Peru: “Bolivia’s Minister of Culture Elizabeth Salguero has requested clarification on the “plagiarism” of a Bolivian song [...]
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Central America, crime, and what the Americas are doing about it

By Eliot Brockner | Published: January 28, 2011
On 3 March 2009, The Wall Street Journal published an Op-Ed titled “In Praise of Mexico’s War on Drugs”. Although it was written nearly two years ago, it is still a highly relevant and recommended read. A day later, LatAmThought wrote the following in response to the article Bret Stephens’ commentary “In Priase of Mexico’s War on [...]
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Twisted Fantasy Becomes Twisted Reality

By Eliot Brockner | Published: August 4, 2010
Bocas del Toro (Bocas, as many of the large ex-pat community refer to it) is a beautiful archipelago in Bocas del Toro province. I had the good fortune to travel there recently, and the pictures say more about its natural beauty than I possible can: The AP has been been covering the story about five murdered [...]
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From Partner by Default to Partner of Choice: Shifting US Policy in Latin America

By Eliot Brockner | Published: April 13, 2010
On March 26, US Ambassador to Colombia William Brownfield said the US is close to signing bi-lateral military accords with two unspecified countries in Latin America. In October 2009, following a failed attempt to keep the details secret, the US and Colombia hastily announced a deal allowing US troops and advisors to use seven military bases [...]
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Anti-drug bases in Panama and the Drug War in 2010

By Eliot Brockner | Published: December 30, 2009
One of the biggest stories emerging from the Americas in 2009 was Colombia’s decision to let the United States access military installations throughout Colombia in efforts to combat narcotrafficking. The move exacerbated already tenuous relations between Colombia and Venezuela, with the latter claiming that US presence in Colombia was a direct threat to sovereignty, another [...]
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Broad Regional Integration or a Case-by-Case Basis?

By Eliot Brockner | Published: December 3, 2009
The AQ blog recently published an excellent article analyzing the effectiveness and utility of broad, multinational coalitions in the Americas: This is not to call for unilateralism or a rejection of international norms at the expense of alliances and partners.  What it does point to is a more limited, pragmatic agenda: engaging on specific, discrete issues with [...]
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Tradtional Advertising, Non-tradtional Brands: Colombia’s Ministry of Defense and The Government of Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli

By Eliot Brockner | Published: November 22, 2009
Colombian Government Spends Money to Talk to FARC Rebels Advertising Age, a leading trade in the advertising industry, published a story on its front page during the week of 16 November about an established ad campaign with a non-traditional target audience: members of the FARC. The campaign, sponsored by the Colombian Ministry of Defense and created pro [...]
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