Recent Publications

The Trouble with China’s Global Civilization Initiative (on The Diplomat)
June 1, 2023 — R. Evan EllisHistory is marked by the recurring tragedy of publics rallying around leaders with attractive-sounding rhetoric, from new constitutions to government-led development and social justice, to prosperity through privatization. Whether on the right or the left, the most consistent outcome is to empower and benefit the elites selling the... MORE

Panama’s Popular Discontent Is Still Simmering
May 27, 2023 — R. Evan EllisWith roughly a year to go before Panama’s next general election scheduled for May 2024, Panamanians are broadly frustrated with the country’s current conditions. During a weeklong visit last month, government officials, academics and others I spoke with expressed concerns over insecurity, the economy, corruption and the stalled... MORE

Panama’s Popular Discontent Is Still Simmering
R. Evan Ellis

PRC Engagement in Costa Rica (on CEEP)
May 18, 2023 — R. Evan Ellis Although Costa Rica was the first nation in Latin America to switch relations from Taiwan to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), it stands as a lesson to others that the promise of vast economic and other benefits from diplomatically recognizing China, and the reality, are very different... MORE

PRC Engagement in Costa Rica (on CEEP)
R. Evan Ellis

Lessons from Russia’s Latin America engagement over Ukraine
May 9, 2022 — Dr. R. Evan Ellis, 2022 Russia’s engagement with Latin America after its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, and the Latin American response to the invasion, illustrates the growing strategic challenge to the U.S. from the survival and proliferation of populist authoritarian regimes in the Western Hemisphere. It also hints at opportunities for Russian... MORE

The Russian Military in Contemporary Perspective
September 24, 2019 — Dr. Stephen J. Blank, 2019 American Foreign Policy CouncilWherever one looks, Russia is carrying out aggressive military and informational attacks against the West in Europe, North and South America, the Arctic, and the Middle East. This “war against the West” actually began over a decade ago, but its most jarring and shocking event, the one that... MORE

Cover for The Russian Military in Contemporary Perspective

Strategic Insights: The Strategic Relevance of Latin America in the U.S. National Security Strategy
March 14, 2018 — Dr. José de Arimatéia da Cruz The much-anticipated National Security Strategy of the United States of America was released in December 2017 by President Donald J. Trump. The National Security Strategy is composed of four pillars and is applied in a regional context. How does the National Security Strategy view the Western Hemisphere? What are the... MORE

Cover for Strategic Insights: The Strategic Relevance of Latin America in the U.S. National Security Strategy

Strategic Insights: The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ISIL) and Trinidad and Tobago: Establishing a Dangerous Presence in the Western Hemisphere
May 13, 2016 — Dr. José de Arimatéia da Cruz In his National Security Strategy (February 2015), President Barack Obama stated that, “the threat of catastrophic attacks against our homeland by terrorists has diminished but still persists . . . Our adversaries are not confined to a distinct country or region. Instead, they range from South Asia through the Middle... MORE

Cover for Strategic Insights: The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ISIL) and Trinidad and Tobago: Establishing a Dangerous Presence in the Western Hemisphere

Strategic Insights: The Strategic Relevance of Latin America for the United States
December 8, 2014 — Dr. R. Evan Ellis From October 12-14, 2014, the city of Arequipa, Peru, was host to this year’s largest unnoticed meeting of senior government officials from across the Western Hemisphere: the 11th annual Defense Ministerial Summit of the Americas. The meeting brought together Ministers of Defense and their equivalents from 34 nations from the... MORE

Cover for Strategic Insights: The Strategic Relevance of Latin America for the United States

Strategic Insights: The Dragon in the Tropics: China’s Military Expansion into the Western Hemisphere
September 30, 2014 — Dr. José de Arimatéia da Cruz A prosperous and stable China will not be a threat to any country. It will only be a positive force for world peace. Vice President Xi Jinping, 2012 Despite the fact that Latin America has been an area of U.S. influence since 1823... MORE

Cover for Strategic Insights: The Dragon in the Tropics: China's Military Expansion into the Western Hemisphere