Home : Research & Commentary : SSI Worldwide
From the Archives
Bolivia’s Descent into Deep Chaos and the Implications for the Region
The resource rich, land-locked South American nation of Bolivia has traditionally received limited attention from Washington. The country, historically mired in poverty, corruption, and cycles of political conflict is one of the hemisphere’s major sources for coca and illegally mined gold, as well as a transit country for both. Bolivia’s leftist populist Movement for Socialism (MAS) governments of Evo Morales and Luis Arce have made the country an important point of entry into the hemisphere for extra-hemispheric U.S. rivals including the People’s Republic of China, Russia, and Iran. In recent weeks, a power struggle has emerged for control of the MAS between current President Luis Arce and former President Evo Morales. This has implications for the stability of the country as it plays out in the context of crosscutting political rivalries, economic difficulties, and a significant criminal economy with competing interests. This work examines the deteriorating situation in Bolivia and the potential implications for the region. Image adapted from: https://theglobalamericans.org/2023/11/bolivias-descent-into-deep-chaos-and-the-implications-for-the-region/
Nov. 22, 2023 - R. Evan Ellis | The resource rich, land-locked South American nation of Bolivia has traditionally received limited attention from Washington. The country, historically mired in poverty, corruption, and cycles of political...
China has acquired a global network of strategically vital ports
The expansion is critical to China’s economic power and has significant military implications as well, analysts say. “This is not coincidental,” said Carol Evans, director of the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College. “I firmly believe there is a strategic aspect to the particular ports they’re targeting for investment.” Background photo credit: A dockworker passes by a container ship at the Chinese-operated port of Djibouti in 2015. (Carl de Souza/AFP/Getty Images), from the article https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2023/china-ports-trade-military-navy/
Nov. 8, 2023 - Carol V. Evans | A decade ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping launched the Maritime Silk Road, the oceanic component of his flagship Belt and Road Initiative aimed at improving China’s access to world markets by investing in...
Implications of the Israel-Hamas War for the Global Strategic Environment
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
Nov. 7, 2023 - R. Evan Ellis | The unfolding war between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization is like watching a slow-motion train wreck. Hamas’ unconscionable, extensively planned terror unleashed against Israel on October 7 has set...
Iran’s Re-engagement with Latin America
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
Nov. 3, 2023 - R. Evan Ellis | The article presents the resumption of Iran’s relations with Latin America and the opportunities this offers for political and economic interaction. It highlights Iran’s acceptance into the BRICS during the...
Comparing China’s Engagement in Africa and Latin America
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
Oct. 21, 2023 - 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. On October 12-13, 2023,...
Security Challenges Facing the Dominican Republic and the Government Response
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
Oct. 18, 2023 - R. Evan Ellis | 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...
Implications of the Hamas Terror Attacks and the Israeli Response on Latin America and the Global Strategic Environment 
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) Original image credit: The Israeli military is conducting operations against Hamas fighters in the country's southern region, and they are currently advancing on a road in that area. / Date: October 10, 2023, / Source: REUTERS Introduction My heart goes out to the almost 1,000 Israelis brutally slaughtered by Hamas on October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks this week. Few not actually living this moment in Israel, and certainly not me, can truly understand the grief and outrage that Hamas’ acts of depravity have sparked among Israelis. A nation forged from history’s most nefarious effort to exterminate a people cannot coexist within miles (sometimes even meters) of a terrorist organization whose principal objective is its destruction. Yet, I fear even more what is likely to come next. Following the 9-11 terror attacks that killed more than 2,977 in the United States, I watched my own country, in moral outrage and a quest for security framed by “never again…” effectively bankrupt itself over the next two decades while creating enemies around the world, and squandering a generation of military and technological advantage as its geopolitical rival the People’s Republic of China (PRC) rose in the shadows of its distraction. Israel’s response to the Hamas attacks can not be anything less than total, but it must be smart. Continue reading article at https://www.indrastra.com/2023/10/implications-of-hamas-terror-attacks.html) Israel, Latin America, The Middle East, United States
Oct. 13, 2023 - R. Evan Ellis | My heart goes out to the almost 1,000 Israelis brutally slaughtered by Hamas on October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks this week. Few not actually living this moment in Israel, and certainly not me, can truly...
The Impact of the Turn to the Left on the Advance of the People’s Republic of China in Latin
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)
Oct. 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...
Fernando Villavicencio and the Self-Destructive Collaboration between China and Populist Regimes
R. Evan Ellis Mexico’s relationship with China has always been complicated. Although Chinese migrants formed an important part in Mexico’s national story, the perceived “otherness” of the Chinese community and competition for work led to occasional violence against ethnic Chinese. With the contemporary expansion of the PRC economy, the position of both countries as manufacturing exporters led many Mexicans to see the PRC as a competitor, as much as an economic opportunity. Mexico has correspondingly not signed onto China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), nor has it joined the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Continue reading the article: https://theglobalamericans.org/2023/08/fernando-villavicencio-and-the-self-destructive-collaboration-between-china-and-populist-regimes/ Image from the Spanish-language version of this article, originally published on Infobae, with title overlay.
Aug. 15, 2023 - R. Evan Ellis Mexico’s relationship with China has always been complicated. Although Chinese migrants formed an important part in Mexico’s national story, the perceived “otherness” of the Chinese community and competition for...
More