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China Landpower Studies Center | May 20, 2025

China Landpower Studies Center Newsletter II

In our second newsletter, we will share the China Landpower Studies Center (CLSC) team’s latest analysis and insights on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
China Landpower Studies Center | May 8, 2025

Ecuador’s Incoming Government Faces Difficult Choices Regarding China

With Daniel Noboa returning to the presidency and a new Chinese ambassador on the way, China-Ecuador relations are at an inflection point.From April 22-25, I had the opportunity to travel to Quito, Ecuador, to address an international forum on China
China Landpower Studies Center | May 8, 2025

China’s Coming Diplomatic Blitz in the Americas

The next few months will bring a series of high-profile multilateral engagements between China and Latin American countries, as Beijing seeks to capitalize on discontent with Trump.In the coming three months, China will have a number of opportunities
China Landpower Studies Center | April 29, 2025

Transnational Organized Crime in Mexico and the Government’s Response

The US government threats of tariffs on the Mexican government if it did not do more to control illicit fentanyl flows into the United States have cast new attention on the growing problem of transnational organized crime that has wrought violence
China Landpower Studies Center | April 24, 2025

Waging War without Disruption: China’s People’s Armed Police in a Future...

As one of the three branches of China’s armed forces, the People’s Armed Police (PAP) (人民武装警察) operates alongside the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) (人民解放军) and the militia (民兵) as a key instrument of Chinese Communist Party power. According to the
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Category: SSI Worldwide

Implications of the Israel-Hamas War for the Global Strategic Environment
November 7, 2023
Implications of the Israel-Hamas War for the Global Strategic Environment by R. Evan Ellis https://www.indrastra.com/2023/11/implications-of-israel-hamas-war-for.html
Iran’s Re-engagement with Latin America
November 3, 2023
Iran’ Re-engagement with Latin America by R. Evan Ellis https://revistas.ceeep.mil.pe/index.php/seguridad-y-poder-terrestre/article/view/43/81
Comparing China’s Engagement in Africa and Latin America
October 21, 2023
Comparing China’s Engagement in Africa and Latin America R. Evan Ellis There are substantial commonalities in Beijing’s engagement between the two regions, but also differences that provide insights into how China-based entities make, and adapt, policies. https://thediplomat.com/2023/10/comparing-chinas-engagement-in-africa-and-latin-america/ Image credits: Chinese flag from Pexels.com, world map overlay from FreePik.com
Security Challenges Facing the Dominican Republic and the Government Response
October 18, 2023
Security Challenges Facing the Dominican Republic and the Government Response R. Evan Ellis ntroduction From September 24-28, 2023, a trip was made to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to present a paper on crime and violence in the Caribbean at a forum organized by Funglode,[2] one of the country’s leading think tanks. As part of this visit, he held a dialogue with a wide range of former and current security personnel and other experts on the security challenges facing the nation. The Dominican Republic’s economy, closely linked to that of the United States (U.S.) through geography, family ties and the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR),[3] is one of the fastest growing in the region.[4] Despite the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,[5] tourism has recovered remarkably. The country has a vibrant democratic political culture and, unlike many of its Caribbean and Central American neighbors with whom it shares close linguistic and cultural ties, has managed to maintain significantly lower levels of violence and gang activity. (https://ceeep.mil.pe/2023/10/18/retos-de-seguridad-a-los-que-se-enfrenta-la-republica-dominicana-y-la-respuesta-del-gobierno/?lang=en) Background image credit: CEEP
Implications of the Hamas Terror Attacks and the Israeli Response on Latin America and the Global Strategic Environment 
October 13, 2023
Evan Ellis - Implications of the Hamas Terror Attacks and the Israeli Response on Latin America and the Global Strategic Environment (for IndraStra at https://www.indrastra.com/2023/10/implications-of-hamas-terror-attacks.html)
The Impact of the Turn to the Left on the Advance of the People’s Republic of China in Latin
October 5, 2023
R. Evan Ellis  This work uses the comparative method, complemented by quantitative data, to examine engagement by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in Latin America as a function of government type, across a range of activities, including trade, investment, infrastructure projects, security relations, and technical architectures over the past two decades. The findings indicate that the PRC establishes distinct and often broader forms of engagement with populist, anti-US governments, although this does not necessarily translate into a higher volume of PRC investment or overall trade with those governments. This is the first major work in the growing China–Latin America literature to explicitly analyze the dynamics of PRC engagement across regime type. It contributes to strategic analysis of the PRC challenge in the region by the operational force, including the identification of risks, and the formulation of responses, including credible messaging, in support of a coordinated whole-of-government response to the PRC challenge. Read now: The Impact of the Turn to the Left on the Advance of the People’s Republic of China in Latin Image adapted from FreePik (https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/coronavirus-map_7456298.htm)
2023 Annual Estimate of the Strategic Security Environment
August 24, 2023
2023 Annual Estimate of the Strategic Security Environment The Annual Estimate of the Strategic Security Environment serves as a guide for academics and practitioners in the defense community on the current challenges and opportunities in the strategic environment. This year’s publication outlines key strategic issues across the four broad themes of Regional Challenges and Opportunities, Domestic Challenges, Institutional Challenges, and Domains Impacting US Strategic Advantage. These themes represent a wide range of topics affecting national security and provide a global assessment of the strategic environment to help focus the defense community on research and publication. Strategic competition with the People’s Republic of China and the implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine remain dominant challenges to US national security interests across the globe. However, the evolving security environment also presents new and unconventional threats, such as cyberattacks, terrorism, transnational crime, and the implications of rapid technological advancements in fields such as artificial intelligence. At the same time, the US faces domestic and institutional challenges in the form of recruiting and retention shortfalls in the all-volunteer force, the prospect of contested logistics in large-scale combat operations, and the health of the US Defense Industrial Base. Furthermore, rapidly evolving security landscapes in the Arctic region and the space domain pose unique potential challenges to the Army’s strategic advantage. https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/962/
AY24 Campaign Planning Handbook
August 22, 2023
CAMPAIGN PLANNING HANDBOOK Academic Year 2024
Fernando Villavicencio and the Self-Destructive Collaboration between China and Populist Regimes
August 15, 2023
Fernando Villavicencio and the Self-Destructive Collaboration between China and Populist Regimes R. Evan Ellis
Mexico’s Engagement with China and Choices for its Future
August 11, 2023
Mexico’s Engagement with China and Choices for its Future