Tag Archives: Diplomacy

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 [...]
Posted in Brazil, Panama, United States | Also tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Merida 2.0: A New Phase in U.S.-Mexico Security Cooperation

By Dora Beszterczey | Published: March 26, 2010
Responding to a growing sense that an exclusive focus on a military-led fight against drug trafficking organizations is failing to curb violence on the other side of our southern border, the United States and Mexico formally announced a shift in their counternarcotics strategy that had been in the works since the fall of 2009. The “new stage” in bilateral cooperation will aim to strengthen civilian law enforcement institutions and rebuild communities crippled by poverty and crime.
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Venezuelan-Colombian Relations at World Politics Review

By Eliot Brockner | Published: March 11, 2010
Diplomatic relations between Colombia and Venezuela have been at the front lines since a Spanish judge accused Venezuela of assisting FARC rebels on March 1, two years to the day after a raid by Colombian soldiers in Ecuador prompted one of the worst regional diplomatic disputes in recent memory. The accusations are hardly new; in fact, [...]
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Beyond Playa del Carmen: Tourism and Diplomacy in Ecuador and Colombia

By Eliot Brockner | Published: March 2, 2010
Last week’s Rio Summit between high ranking dignitaries of the Americas – The United States and Canada conspicuously excluded – produced a number of notable events: The announcement of the creation of a Brazil-led regional bloc to convene in July 2011 Universal [...]
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“Tres Perguntas a…LatAmThought”

By Eliot Brockner | Published: August 23, 2009
The Portuguese Daily Economico recently asked on our open forum to answer a few questions regarding the comments made by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during the week of 10 August about “winds of war” blowing in the region. Below is the response to those questions:  1. How do you interpret the declarations of president Chávez about [...]
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Russia, Bolivia, and the new US model

By Eliot Brockner | Published: June 5, 2009
On a recent trip to Moscow in May 2009, Bolivia’s Viceminister of Foreign Affairs Hugo Fernández Araoz said that Bolivia would be making a multimilliondollar arms and transportation purchase from Russia in efforts to combat drug smuggling and production in Bolivia. El Pais reported on 21 May 2009 that Bolivia used to make these purchases, [...]
Posted in Bolivia, United States | Also tagged | 1 Comment