Over the past several months, a number of reports have circulated that address the subject of drug trafficking ties between South American narcotics trafficking interests and terrorist organizations, principally Al Qaeda and its smaller affiliates now known to be based in Northern Africa. These ass[...]
Archive for the ‘Venezuela’ Category
FARQaeda* (FARC + Al Qaeda): A Real Threat or a Matter of Circumstantial Evidence?
¿Cambio? The Obama Administration in Latin America: A Disappointing Year in Perspective
In a memorandum written as Barack Obama assumed office in January 2009, COHA’s Research Fellows Guy Hursthouse and Tomás Ayuso considered widespread Latin American expectations of a dramatic shift in approach from Washington under the new president, and outlined an agenda for change aimed at [...]
Inflation and Corruption on the Horizon as an Endangered Chávez Gambles to Retain Popularity
On January 8th, Venezuelan President Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías announced the devaluation of the Bolivarian Republic’s currency, the bolivar. In his address, Chávez distinguished between two classes of products, establishing separate exchange rates for “essential” and “non-essential” good[...]
Chávez Must Look Homeward To Nurse His Ailing Revolution and Reinforce His Constituency
- Economic hard times eroding his constituency - Venezuelan leader would do well to more carefully choose his shots In 1998, Venezuelans broke with political tradition by electing a well-known and controversial populist colonel named Hugo Chávez Frias as president. They ignored precedent because [...]
Ahmadinejad – No Great Bargain for a Struggling Chávez
Since the initial election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005, Iran has become one of Venezuela’s most durable allies. But as this self-described “Axis of Unity” has developed, a predictable group of detractors has emerged. In a widely noted September op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, long[...]
COHA In The News: América Latina, la materia pendiente para Barack Obama
Published by Panorama November 28, 2009 Brasil, México y Colombia seguirán siendo las prioridades de Washington en una Latinoamérica de poca importancia para la Casa Blanca. Texto: Juan Pablo Crespo Una nueva cara, de orígen hispanoparlante, no se traduce necesariamente en un cambio profundo e[...]
COHA This Week in the News
COHA Interviews -COHA Director Larry Birns was interviewed on November 30, by Hugh Hamilton, appearing on WBAI Pacifica Radio in New York (99.5FM and www.wbai.org). He spoke about the US decision to recognize elections in Honduras. -Larry Birns was also featured on KPFA’s Morning Show on December[...]
Déjà Vu in Venezuelan-Colombian Relations, as War of Words Reignites: What Next for Chávez?
- Signing of U.S.-Colombian military base pact and border violence prompts a vigilant Chávez to tell his generals and the country’s citizens to “prepare for war.” - Brazilian mediation machine cranks into action, but as Lula aide encourages dialogue and offers “help to monitor the [borde[...]
While Brazilian Senators Debate, Venezuela is on the Brink of Being Confirmed as Mercosur’s Fifth Member
- President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been championing the entry of Venezuela into Mercosur for the past two and a half years. His wish has never been closer to coming true. Lula’s Persistent Cause On July 4, 2006, representatives of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay met in Caracas to s[...]
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