My recent visits to Ukraine, other countries formerly in the Soviet sphere, and their neighbors have convinced me that Kiev presides over a nation in terrible shape, at least compared to its former comrades.
Infrastructure is crumbling, buildings are dilapidated and old Soviet-style jalopies carefully navigate pothole-strewn streets. And that just refers to areas outside the eastern war zone along the Russian border. The misery index is high nationwide, and Ukrainians understandably want better lives.
Kiev’s attempts to join the E.U. and NATO were desperate moves meant to pull the country out of abject poverty, risking all to break free from a new Iron Curtain of Russian economic and military dominance…. Continue Reading »
An economy crippled by inefficiency and streets flooded with crime have long marred Caracas and the rest of Venezuela. Over the years, corruption has paved the way for organized crime to overrun the Bolivarian Republic, and as the rule by law became the rule by men, one man has stood atop the racket: Diosdado Cabello Rondón.
Cabello is best known as the president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, but has also earned his reputation as the “Al Capone” of Venezuela and one of the top kingpins in Latin America.
On Tuesday morning, Venezuelans awoke to a silver lining when US authorities announced they had secured a high-value informant to testify against Cabello: his bodyguard, Lieutenant Commander Leamsy Salazar. As Salazar begins to sing to US law enforcement, it is important for the public to know who his melody will be about…. Continue Reading »
Joseph Humire on the death of Alberto Nisman, the criminal case against Argentinian President Cristina Kirchner and Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman and the democratic change in Cuba.
