General Fan Visits Havana
After concluding a five day visit to the United States, Gen. Fan Changlong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, flew directly to Havana, Cuba, the first Chinese official of such high rank to travel to the i
Continue readingIs It Time to Rebalance China’s Latin American Portfolio?
China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang recently told delegates at the National People’s Congress the country’s economy would grow at about 7 percent this year. The projection reflects a slowdown as China works to consol
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Subcommittee Hearing: The President’s New Cuba Policy and U.S. National Security
Fernando Menéndez Senior Fellow, Center for a Secure Free Society Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere February 26, 2015 “The President’s New Cuba Policy and U.S. National Secu
Continue readingThe “New Normal” in Cuba, U.S. and China Relations
In December 2013, President Obama announced plans to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba, ending over fifty years of official non-recognition. The decision does not lift the decades-long economic embargo, which only
Continue readingDropping Oil Prices Reveal Failed Economic Policies in Latin America
As the global price of oil drops, the effects of this phenomenon are unveiling the failure of Latin America’s populist governments to generate sustainable prosperity while depending on oil-for-loans schemes, mainly wi
Continue readingWe Must Defeat the Poisonous Ideology of Islamism
Immediately following the attack on Canada’s Parliament many media pundits began referring to the terrorist attacker as “misguided.” Some pondered whether the convert to radical Islam, Michael Sehaf-Bibeau, was som
Continue readingDoes China Own Ecuador?
Is the Ecuadoran government of Rafael Correa a wholly owned subsidiary of China? The more analysts look at the finances of the Andean nation of 15.6 million, the more it seems that the Correa government is selling the c
Continue readingPromoting Prosperity or Populism?
The establishment of the New Development Bank (NDB) announced at the recent summit of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and the Contingent Reserve Agreement (CRA) to assist members facing financ
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