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South & Latin America
Security Challenges in the Dutch Caribbean | R. Evan Ellis
Security Challenges in the Dutch Caribbean
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Strategic Implication of the Chinese-Operated Port of Chancay | R. Evan Ellis for La Red China y América Latina
Strategic Implication of the Chinese-Operated Port of Chancay
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Venezuela: The Path Forward | R. Evan Ellis
Venezuela: The Path Forward
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Paraguay’s Security Challenges and the Government Response
Paraguay’s Security Challenges and the Government Response
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Chile’s Expanding Defense Relationship with China | R. Evan Ellis
Chile’s Expanding Defense Relationship with China
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Re-Asserting the Value of the Individual for Latin America’s Security and Prosperity | Dr. R. Evan Ellis
Re-Asserting the Value of the Individual for Latin America’s Security and Prosperity
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Brazil’s Attempt to Control X: The Deterioration of the Liberal World Order
Brazil’s Attempt to Control X: The Deterioration of the Liberal World Order
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Bolivia and US Dilemmas in Engaging with Problematic Regimes in Latin America
Bolivia and US Dilemmas in Engaging with Problematic Regimes in Latin America
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The Impact of the Political Orientation of Latin America, on the Advance of the People’s Republic of China in the Region R. Evan Ellis
The Impact of the Political Orientation of Latin America, on the Advance of the People’s Republic of China in the Region
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Venezuela's Elections: Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst
Venezuela’s Elections: Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst
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China, the Illiberal Counter-Order, and the Role of Values in the Strategic Response
China, the Illiberal Counter-Order, and the Role of Values in the Strategic Response
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Engagement with China has had a Multifaceted Impact on Latin American Democracy R. Evan Ellis
Engagement with China has had a Multifaceted Impact on Latin American Democracy
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From the Archives
Chile’s Expanding Defense Relationship with China
From September 9-14, 2024, Chilean Defense Minister Maya Fernandez Allende, granddaughter of Chile’s first socialist president Salvador Allende, traveled to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to attend the 11th annual Xiangshan Defense Forum in Beijing.  The meeting, the most significant event of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) global defense “diplomacy” during the year, was attended by over 500 representatives from more than 90 countries, including 30 Defense Ministers. While there, presumably following many positive encounters and generous PLA hospitality and a meeting with PLA Defense Minister Dong Jun, Minister Fernandez publicly proclaimed her interest in reviving closer Chile-PLA defense cooperation.  Her statement, which included the intention to re-activate a previously established PRC-Chile Joint Working Commission. Photo of Chilean President Gabriel Boric meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Bangkok on Friday. Image via @gabrielboric and sourced from article. (https://chinayamericalatina.com/la-creciente-relacion-de-chile-con-china-en-materia-de-defensa/)
Oct. 18, 2024 - From September 9-14, 2024, Chilean Defense Minister Maya Fernandez Allende, granddaughter of Chile’s first socialist president Salvador Allende, traveled to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to attend the 11th annual...
Re-Asserting the Value of the Individual for Latin America’s Security and Prosperity
Opidata #4: Re-Asserting the Value of the Individual for Latin America’s Security and Prosperity | Dr. R. Evan Ellis Empowerment of the individual, not the state, is the key to innovation, prosperity, physical and political security for Latin America, as the region engages with an unprecedented array of challenges and new partners.
Oct. 15, 2024 - Empowerment of the individual, not the state, is the key to innovation, prosperity, physical and political security for Latin America, as the region engages with an unprecedented array of challenges and new partners...
Brazil’s Attempt to Control X: The Deterioration of the Liberal World Order
Elon Musk’s clash with the Lula government raises the issue of how to promote democracy and free speech in the new technological era. The move by the Brazilian government of Luis Ignacio (Lula) da Silva against the Elon Musk-owned information companies X and Starlink have transcendental significance beyond the struggle at hand. It is illustrative of the efforts of regimes both authoritarian and democratic to shield themselves from informational, commercial and legal vulnerabilities arising from a global connectivity whose effects are made increasingly pronounced by advances in digital technologies.
Sept. 13, 2024 - Elon Musk’s clash with the Lula government raises the issue of how to promote democracy and free speech in the new technological era...
Bolivia and US Dilemmas in Engaging with Problematic Regimes in Latin America
R. Evan Ellis Background photo of La Paz, Bolivia skyline from article (https://www.indrastra.com/2024/09/bolivia-and-us-dilemmas-in-engaging.html)
Sept. 12, 2024 - I recently had the opportunity to engage with a senior Bolivian colleague connected with the government of Luis Arce regarding the country’s economic and political difficulties and its relationship with the United...
The Impact of the Political Orientation of Latin America, on the Advance of the People’s Republic of China in the Region
The Impact of the Political Orientation of Latin America, on the Advance of the People’s Republic of China in the Region | R. Evan Ellis https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/JOTA/journals/Volume-6_Issue-2/23-Ellis_eng.pdf Background image adapted from COVID map on Freepik (https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/coronavirus-map-concept_7533197.htm)
Aug. 27, 2024 - Latin America is currently undergoing unprecedented political shifts. This phenomenon is characterized by the recent electoral victories of left-ofcenter candidates in Mexico in 2018; Argentina in 2019; Peru, Honduras, and...
Venezuela’s Elections: Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst
Venezuela's Elections: Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst - R. Evan Ellis As Venezuela moves toward promised national elections on July 28, my heart is with the hopes of Venezuelans for a miracle that will translate their courageous act of voting, into a restoration of democracy. Everything I have seen unfold in the country over the past 25 years of my career in government and the private sector following Venezuela leads me to expect the worst. https://www.indrastra.com/2024/07/venezuelas-elections-hoping-for-best.html
July 25, 2024 - As Venezuela moves toward promised national elections on July 28, my heart is with the hopes of Venezuelans for a miracle that will translate their courageous act of voting, into a restoration of democracy. Everything I have...
China, the Illiberal Counter-Order, and the Role of Values in the Strategic Response
China, the Illiberal Counter-Order, and the Role of Values in the Strategic Response R. Evan Ellis https://gordoninstitute.fiu.edu/news-events/the-policy-spotlight/2024/china-the-illiberal-counter-order-and-the-role-of-values-in-the-strategic-response.html
July 22, 2024 - The dynamics of the international order in the third decade of the 21st Century are changing profoundly.  The magnitude and complexity of the change are illustrated by Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, in both its initial...
Engagement with China has had a Multifaceted Impact on Latin American Democracy
R. Evan Ellis Background photo by AP Ng Han Guan, Pool, reposted from article (https://thediplomat.com/2024/07/engagement-with-china-has-had-a-multifaceted-impact-on-latin-american-democracy)
July 15, 2024 - While Beijing may not deliberately promote authoritarian regimes in Latin America, implicit risks to the dynamics of democracies arise out of engagement with China.In its public discourse, unlike the Soviet Union during the...
Paraguay’s Security Challenges and the Government Response
Paraguay’s Security Challenges and the Government Response R. Evan Ellis https://gordoninstitute.fiu.edu/news-events/the-policy-spotlight/2024/paraguays-security-challenges-and-the-government-response.html
July 8, 2024 - The land-locked South American country of Paraguay receives little attention in Washington D.C. relative to its strategic importance for the region and the U.S. It is larger than Germany, and like Germany, its impact, and the...
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