Spotlight on COHA Research Fellow Alex Sanchez

W. Alejandro “Alex” Sanchez Nieto is a Research Fellow at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA) where he focuses on geopolitics and security issues. Sanchez holds a Master’s degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from the School of International Service at American University and has attended the Institute of World Politics, Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, as well as carried out studies in Austria, Belgium and France.

His analyses have appeared in numerous refereed journals including Small Wars and Insurgencies, Defence Studies, the Journal of Slavic Military Studies, European Security, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism and Cuban Affairs.

He regularly appears in different media outlets like New Internationalist, Newsweek
BBC, Le Figaro, and the Washington Diplomat, among others.

Follow Alex on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/W_Alex_Sanchez

He is a regular contributor for COHA’s publication The Washington Report on the Hemisphere.

Sanchez’ most recent presentations include a discussion about Russia’s influence in the Caribbean, which he presented at an “off the record” workshop organized by the Institute of National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University in Washington D.C. He also discussed Peru’s strategic culture during a workshop organized by Florida International University’s Applied Research Center.

COHA director Larry Birns and Sanchez co-authored a chapter about Evo Morales’ foreign policy for an upcoming book. He recently finished a book chapter about independence movements in the Netherlands Antilles. Two recently accepted journal articles due for publication discuss Peru’s “military solution vis-à-vis its terrorist groups and an analysis of the ongoing arms race in South America and the probability of interstate warfare.

Below is a list of all his works with COHA. Click on a title to read further:

• Una sugerencia al Presidente Hugo Chávez – Reevalue sus Alianzas

• A suggestion to President Hugo Chavez – Reevaluate Your Alliances

• Arms Sales, Especially by Russia and China, Continue to Penetrate Latin America

• Latin America and State Recognition: Palestine, the Caucasus, Kosovo, and Taiwan

• Peacekeeping and Military Operations by Latin American Militaries: Between Being a Good Samaritan and Servicing the National Interest

• The Dirty Little Secret: Nuclear Security Issues in Latin America and the Caribbean

• South America and its Likelihood of a Season of Splendid Little Wars: An Analysis of Arms Races and Regional Geopolitics

• Netherlands Antilles’ Break Up Continues as Its Geopolitical Importance Mounts

• The U.S. Military’s Presence in the Greater Caribbean Basin: More a Matter of Trade Strategy and Ideology than Drugs

• Embraer: Brazilian Military Industry Becoming a Global Arms Merchant?

• Separating Fact from Fiction: An Analysis of Venezuela’s Military Power

• Bolivia’s Evo Morales’ European Tour 2009: Russia Flies the Flag Over Latin America and Everyone’s A Winner… Mostly

• Venezuela’s New Constitutional Reform 2009: If Not Chávez, then Whom? PSUV May Not Survive if Chávez Loses the Presidency

• UNASUR – Death before Life? Disagreements over Leadership as National Agendas Divide South America, Dashing Argentina’s UNASUR Prospects

• Honor, Shame and Duty: The Reality of Argentina’s Tattered Armed Forces Today

• Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to Embark on a Highly Revealing Latin American Journey Sure to Give Washington Heartburn

• Bolivia’s Military: It’s a Difficult Life, but Certainly There Is No Sign of a Pending Military Coup

• The South American Defense Council, UNASUR, the Latin American Military and the Region’s Political Process

• Venezuela’s Military in the Hugo Chávez Era

• Space Technology Comes to Latin America: Part of the Hemisphere’s Road to Autonomy

• The Brazilian Military is Back, As It Fleshes Out its Weaponry and Strategies

• Tiny Panama Roars

• Paradise at risk: Environmental and Nuclear Issues Bedevil the Caribbean

• All is Not Well in Georgetown: Guyana’s Emerging Hemispheric Role

• Containment in Their Shanty Towns is not a Solution: Constructive Engagement and not a Face-off between Gangs and New Jamaican Prime Minister is Needed

• Pluralism Bursts into Western Hemisphere

• Lula wants his Yellow Submarine

• Entre La Espada y La Pared: As Venezuela’s Desire to Join MERCOSUR Diminishes, Hugo Chávez Flirts with a Pro-Free Trade CAN

• The Oil Race is On: China Signs Multi-Billion Dollar Oil Contract with Venezuela, But India Also Wants Latin American Oil

• India: The Relatively Quiet But Growing Presence of a New Asian Powerhouse in the Western Hemisphere, Particularly Brazil

• COHA Backgrounder on U.S.-Paraguay Relations: Why Paraguay Matters

• Chile’s Aggressive Military Arm Purchases are Ruffling the Region, Alarming in particular Peru, Bolivia and Argentina

• Hispaniola: The Caribbean’s New Big Leaguers in the Drug Trafficking Trade

• The Colombian Civil War: Uribe Now In Washington In A Move That May Make Or Break His Presidency

• Mexico’s Drug War: A Society at Risk – Soldiers versus Narco-Soldiers

• Memorandum to the Press: Venezuela’s Security Factors and Foreign Policy Goals

• Mother Russia Likes What She Sees in Cuba

• The Government and the Drug Lords: Who Rules Mexico?

• The Russian Arms Merchant Raps on Latin America’s Door

• Russia Returns to Latin America

• Uruguay: Keeping the Military in Check

• Washington Looks to Cement its Military Presence in Central America by Emphasizing its Ties to Honduras

• The Grounds for Bolivia’s New Military Bases

• Hoping for the Best: Austria to host EU-LAC Summit

• Gradual Resurgence of France as a Strategic Presence in Latin America and the Caribbean

• Peru Elections: The Military Issue

• General Eduardo Aldunate: Chile’s Problematic Gift to Haiti Who Could Turn Out to be President-Elect Bachelet’s First Foreign Policy Change

• The Next Domino? Ollanta Humala, Presente!

• The Peru-Chile Arms Race: Current Ramifications of a Bitter History

• Wednesday’s Suriname Election: No Small Matter

• Checkmate by Default: Insulza wins OAS Race Because He is the Sole Candidate that Remains

• Bolton and Negroponte Nominations & the OAS Stand-off

• Hemispheric Checkmate: Chile’s Insulza Likely to Become the Next OAS Secretary General

• The Race Heats Up: Candidates for OAS Secretary-General are Announced

• Next Leader of the Organization of American States Still an Open Question

• Who Will be the Next Leader of the Organization of American States?

• Change of the Guard at the Organization of American States