Separate from Plan Merida: $165 million in U.S. assistance committed to program “Central America Regional Security Initiative” (CARSI).

In a recent visit to the region, the Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton  stated that “the U.S. is committed to citizen safety in Central America…We are doing everything we can in the fight against corruption and impunity, in providing the equipment and the support that law enforcement and the military require, and helping to [...]

Guyana: U.S. Attorney Gral Eric Holder offered resident security advisors to Caribbean countries.

The US Government is willing to make resident security advisors available to Caribbean countries but will Guyana be interested?
Stabroek News was unable to get a comment from Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee on the proposal. In a speech at the Washington event last month where US Attorney General Eric Holder made the offer, Rohee had [...]

U.S. and Mexico agreed in four new goals for the Merida Initiative.

Recently, the governments of the United States and Mexico agreed on new goals to broaden and deepen our cooperation to effect lasting change. We are accelerating our efforts to support stronger democratic institutions in Mexico, especially the police and justice sector, expanding our border focus beyond interdiction of contraband to include facilitation of legitimate trade [...]

Obama’s national security strategy: Pros and Cons.

President Obama’s national security strategy released by the White House on Thursday, tackles a delicate but unavoidable question: How do we respond to security challenges in an era of financial distress at home and reordering of political power abroad?
In Obama’s case, his sober and comprehensive 52-page strategy incorporates the new realities and breaks with past strategies [...]

DoD Frank Mora on U.S. Security and Defense policies for The Americas.

A few days ago the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense DoD for Western Hemisphere Affairs , the Cuban-American Frank Mora, came from Washigton to Miami to give a conference on security and defense policies of the U.S. to Latin America. The conference was held  in the auditorium of the Center for Political Studies in the University of Miami.
There, [...]

Madrid Summit: EU, Latin America and Caribbean agree to strengthen cooperation in the fight against drugs.

This Tuesday, the EU and the Latin American and Caribbean countries undertook to strengthen bi-regional cooperation policies in the fight against drugs in the Madrid Declaration, which for the first time includes the social rehabilitation of former users.
The declaration received the backing of all those taking part in the 12th High-Level Meeting of the European [...]

Brazil attacks Britain and UN over Malvinas/Falklands

President Lula da Silva of Brazil today attacked the UN for failing to act on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands and claimed its reticence was down to Britain’s seat on the Security Council.

Speaking at the end of a regional summit in Mexico Mr Lula criticised the UN for not pushing more forcefully to reopen the debate.

His intervention came ahead of a meeting later today between Ban Ki Moon, the UN Secretary-General, and the Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana.

“Our attitude is one of solidarity with Argentina,” Mr Lula said. “What is the geographical, political and economic explanation for England to be in the Malvinas?