Dpt. of State / Foreign Policy / National Security / Politics / Presidency

The Failures in Libya

When asked this past Sunday if the recent terrorist attack on American diplomats in Libya was an “intelligence failure,” senior White House Advisor David Plouffe said, “No, this was an event obviously … a complex event.” Let us ignore the obvious tautology of Plouffe’s remarks and his clear desire to obfuscate the issue instead of … Continue reading

America / Foreign Policy / Politics

Hugo Chavez is (probably) not fully cured of cancer

Roger Noriega, Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, might have been onto something this past summer. In July Noriega speculated that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez may not be fully cured of cancer. Chavez claimed as much last October, but has since reversed course. He recently announced that in the near future he will go to … Continue reading

America / Foreign Policy / Politics / Rule of Law

US Allies Recognizing the Losing Nature of the Current “War on Drugs”

Earlier this week, Guatemala’s newly elected President Otto Perez Molina said that the US’s inability to decrease illegal drug consumption has left Guatemala in a position where it must consider legalizing the use and transport of drugs. He plans to raise the issue of legalization of illicit drugs at an upcoming summit of Central American … Continue reading

America / Foreign Policy

Why the US Should Care About Central America’s Deteriorating Security Situation

The countries of Central America currently are facing a security crisis brought on by its economically advantageous geographic position. It is in close proximity to the large consumer markets of North America and has access to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the former through the Caribbean Sea. Ironically, however, geography also has made Central America … Continue reading

America / Economy / Foreign Policy / Politics

Forgotten in the Coverage of the US Presidential Election: two other key elections in the Western Hemisphere

As per normal in a US presidential election year, there has been a plethora of political coverage broadcasted on most any news channel so far in 2012. While this does not mean the public is paying attention to the seemingly unending political coverage (some viewers have even expressed their dissatisfaction with it), there has been … Continue reading

America / Foreign Policy / Gov. Officials / Politics

Mauro Vieira and Brazil-US Relations

The Brazilian Ambassador to the United States, Mauro Vieira, spoke today at the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University on US-Brazil Relations. As it is traditional for academic talks given by Brazilian representatives in the United States, they initiate pointing out the anecdote that the US was the first country to … Continue reading