RSSDr. Ashby is a practicing corporate attorney in Miami. He previously served at the Commerce Department as Director of the Office of Mexico and the Caribbean and was acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for the Western Hemisphere. Dr. Ashby, who travels regularly to Cuba, he is [...][...]
Archive for the ‘Opinion’ Category
Honduras’ Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo: Another Disaster for Central American Democracy Waiting in the Wing
Tomorrow, January 27th, as the world’s eyes continue to be riveted on the unfolding disaster in Haiti, Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo will be installed as Honduras’ president, succeeding de facto president Roberto Micheletti. Lobo, a supporter of the June 28th military coup that ousted P[...]
A new president in Honduras – same old Uncle Sam
By: Cyril Mychalejko Bucks County Courier Times January 20, 2010 Some things in Latin America never change – like U.S. foreign policy in the region. In the early hours of June 28, Honduran Gen. Romeo Vasquez Velasquez, a graduate at the infamous “School of the Americas” in Fort Ben[...]
Haiti’s Tragedy Could Provide an Opportunity for Improved US-Cuban Relations Through Disaster Relief Collaboration
Why is there almost no media coverage of Cuba’s medical assistance to Haiti? The Cuban government has provided free health care to the Haitian people since 1998 as well as many full scholarships to its medical schools. It also should be noted that Cuban doctors work in all 10 of Haiti’s depar[...]
December 15th, 2009 - 10:34 am § in Canada, Commodities, Free Trade, Front Page, NAFTA, Obama, Opinion
The U.S. Targets Canada’s Oil Sands: Washington Should Tread Lightly with its Environmental Legislation, so that Carbon Cuts will not Come at the Expense of Canada’s Energy Sovereignty or U.S. Energy Security
Even though climate change legislation has stalled within the United States, President Obama’s willingness to bypass Congress using the authority of the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signals that he is seriously prepared to cut U.S. carbon emissions. The way in which Obama forges a[...]
Professor Russell Crandall, Now of the Pentagon: A Controversial Analyst and Three Controversial Caribbean Interventions
In the U.S. policy arsenal, a series of specialized weapons stand ready to defend democracy, and perhaps of equal importance, to serve Washington’s strategic interests abroad. In “Gunboat Democracy; U.S. Interventions in the Dominican Republic, Grenada and Panama” (2006), Professor Russell Cra[...]
The Great Barrier to Latin American Integration and How to Rise Above It
Simón Bolívar was not the first to dream of a united Latin America, and he certainly has not been the last. Integration has been on the agenda of many Latin American leaders, and of today’s most visible presidents, Lula da Silva of Brazil and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela have pursued their distinct [...]
What the Drug War Needs is a Debate, Not a Disingenuous Battle Plan
In what was to become a growing trend throughout much of Latin America, the Mexican government unleashed its security forces against the drug cartels several years ago in what ended up being a failed effort at interdiction. The strategy was then to change: On August 23, 2009, Mexico City announced [...]
Letter to the President: US-Colombia Military Bases
Dear Colleague: In accordance with our organization’s underlying mission to promote rational and constructive U.S. policies towards Latin America, the Council on Hemispheric Affairs has been asked by the esteemed Colombian Support Network (CSN), as well as by the offices of several members of Cong[...]
COHA Research Fellow Brian Nelson Publishes Book, Begins Lecture Circuit
Brian Nelson’s New Book on Venezuela COHA Research Fellow Brian Nelson’s recently published book, entitled The Silence And The Scorpion (The Coup Against Chávez and the Making of A Modern Venezuela), is now available. The book presents a fast-paced journalistic narrative, which documents Venez[...]