CIMSEC: "The Caribbean Sea: A Strategic Area with Many US Allies and Partners"

 

 

"The Caribbean Sea: A Strategic Area with Many US Allies and Partners"

Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

The Southern Tide

Center for International Maritime Security

28 April, 2025

Published: https://cimsec.org/the-caribbean-sea-a-strategic-area-with-many-us-allies-and-partners/

In late March, the U.S. Navy cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) and the Guyanese patrol vessel Shahoud carried out joint exercises in Guyana’s exclusive economic zone and international waters. Washington has many allies and partners across the Greater Caribbean, particularly among the region’s English-speaking nations. Despite having limited budgets and assets, the defense forces of the English-speaking Caribbean are training and increasing their capabilities to carry out missions, which aligns with US diplomatic and military objectives.

Shephard Media: US donates equipment to three Central American partners

 

"US donates equipment to three Central American partners"

Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

Defence Notes

Shephard Media

25 October 2022

Originally published: https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/defence-notes/us-donates-equipment-to-three-central-american-partners/

The US is supplying aircraft and vehicles to the armed forces of three Central American nations to help them meet regional security and defence needs.

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CIMSEC: Exercise Tradewinds 2022: Mexico’s and Belize’s Time to Shine

 

"Exercise Tradewinds 2022: Mexico’s and Belize’s Time to Shine"

Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

The Southern Tide

Center for International Maritime Security

5 April, 2022

Originally published: https://cimsec.org/exercise-tradewinds-2022-mexicos-and-belizes-time-to-shine/

 

Written by Wilder Alejandro Sanchez, The Southern Tide addresses maritime security issues throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. It discusses the challenges regional navies face including limited defense budgets, inter-state tensions, and transnational crimes. It also examines how these challenges influence current and future defense strategies, platform acquisitions, and relations with global powers.

“Whether [working] against COVID, transnational criminal organizations, the predatory actions of China, the malign influence of Russia, or natural disasters, there’s nothing we cannot overcome or achieve through an integrated response with our interagency allies and partners.” – General Laura J. Richardson, Commander, U.S. Southern Command”  

Multinational exercise Tradewinds 2022, the Caribbean’s premier military exercise, will be co-hosted by Belize and Mexico and will take place on May 7-21, 2022. This is a great opportunity to promote greater interoperability among the two host nations, the United States, and Canada, as well as partners from the greater Caribbean.

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Shephard Media: Procurement struggles and stretched resources hinder Guatemala

"Procurement struggles and stretched resources hinder Guatemala"

Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Shephard Media
Defence Notes
15 July, 2020
Originally published:  https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/defence-notes/premium-procurement-struggles-and-stretched-resour/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=auto_post&utm_campaign=news_promo

Lacking hefty procurement budgets, small Central American countries are struggling to fulfil their defence equipment acquisition ambitions – and the situation is only likely to worsen once the ramifications of COVID-19 become clearer.

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Blouin: The real culprit behind Peru’s ruined ruins

The Real Culprit behind Peru's Ruined Ruins
W. Alejandro Sanchez
Blouin Beat: World
July 16, 2013
Originally published: http://blogs.blouinnews.com/blouinbeatworld/2013/07/16/the-real-culprit-behind-perus-ruined-ruins/

Peru’s booming tourism industry has been a cornerstone of the South American country’s economic growth. This makes the destruction in July of one of the twelve 4,000 year-old pyramids in the El Paraiso archaeological complex all the more grim. Besides the known culprits, real-estate developers, there’s an additional and unlikely cause: Machu Picchu.

That citadel of the Incan Empire is the country’s flagship tourist destination. A recent survey named Machu Picchu as the third most popular tourist destination in South America.

However, the Peruvian government is unfortunately not giving the same care and priority to other archeological centers as it gives to Machu Picchu.

Reports explain that the developers – Inmobiliaria Alisol S.A.C. and Provelanz E.I.R.L. — used heavy machinery to harm and subsequently burnt one the pyramids at the El Paraiso complex, located not far from Lima. “[These people] have committed irreparable damage to a page of Peruvian history,” says Marco Guilen, the director of an excavation project at El Paraiso. When the developers arrived to destroy one of twelve pyramids located there, the center was not guarded. They argue that they had legally purchased 50 hectares of land where the El Paraiso site is located and planned to build a housing complex. After the destruction of the pyramid was made public, guards were deployed to prevent further damage. Meanwhile, Peru’s Ministry of Culture, in charge of overseeing the conservation of archeological sites, has started a lawsuit against the developers.

Worryingly, the destruction of the El Paraiso pyramid is not an isolated event. An example of similar unsalvageable archeological destruction occurred in May in Belize. There, a construction company destroyed an ancient Mayan pyramid at the site of the Nohmul (meaning Big Mound) in order to build a road.The archeological center is at least 2,300 years old and is (or was) the most important site in northern Belize. But the loss of one of the twelve El Paraiso pyramids serves as a stark reminder that some sites receive more priority by authorities when it comes to conservation and protection initiatives. Both Peru and Belize have laws that protect archeological sites, but such laws are useless if they are not properly and actively enforced. If only for financial-related reasons, Peruvian authorities should protect archeological sites around the nation due to their contribution to tourism and local economies.

Tourism in Peru benefits from a plurality of archeological centers and historical attractions in the county’s highlands, such as the Valley of the Incas, the Sacsayhuaman fortress and the cathedral in the city of Cuzco. Most of these sites date back to the Incan Empire and pre-Incan cultures, and have made the region a paradise for tourists, archeologists, and even television producers — a Brazilian soap opera, called Amor a Vida, filmed several episodes in Cuzco this past April.

It should be remembered here, as well, that tourism to Machu Picchu is growing — and so is concern that the massive flow of visitors to the citadel will put the safety of the ruins in jeopardy. Furthermore, authorities are also concerned that the expansion of Aguas Calientes, a nearby town, could affect the ruins. In May 2012, specialists from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) visited Machu Picchu and provided suggestions to local authorities on how to protect the citadel. The Peruvian government, specially the Ministry of Culture, needs to listen — and apply those suggestions nationwide to protect its wealth of cultural history.

VOXXI: Margaret Thatcher humiliated the Argentinian dictatorship

Margaret Thatcher Humiliated the Argentine Dictatorship
W. Alejandro Sanchez
VOXXI
April 8, 2013
Originally published: http://www.voxxi.com/margaret-thatcher-argentina-dictatorship/

The legacy of Margaret Thatcher in Latin America has a name: The Malvinas. And a big consequence: Due to the loss of the war, an already unpopular ruling military junta faced increasing criticism and pressure from the Argentine population and eventually returned the country to democratic rule in 1983.

The immediate effect in the Argentinian pride was enormous. The loss of the war is remembered today and the cry “Malvinas Argentina’s” is kept deep in the Argentinian minds.

The Argentinian Military Junta made the mistake to take by force the small Falkland’s to increase their popularity. The Iron Lady didn’t hesitate a minute to make the decision to go to war. And she won the respect of the Britons and gave the Argentinian the opportunity to finish with the military dictatorship.

Margaret Thatcher dead at 87

Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has died today at the age of 87 as one of the great political European leaders of XX century. The renowned “Iron Lady” was Prime Minister from May 1979 to November 1990, an impressive eleven and a half years in power.

It is a weird aspect of international affairs and world history that wars tend to be remembered more than other events. For example, throughout her tenure, some British territories in the Western Hemisphere achieved independence from London. Namely, Belize gained independence in 1981 while Saint Kitts and Nevis did the same in 1983.

But when it comes to Margaret Thatcher’s legacy towards the Western Hemisphere, she will not be remembered for these aforementioned developments, but rather for deploying British troops to fight the Argentine military in 1982 in the Falklands War.

The declassification of official documents has brought to light traits of Thatcher’s “iron” personality regarding the protection of the Falklands from Argentina. For example, she was at odds regarding with then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan, as she told the U.S. head of state “Britain had not lost precious lives in battle and sent an enormous task force to hand over the queen’s islands to a contact group.”

She was referring to the possibility of striking some kind of negotiated deal with Buenos Aires over the islands when it was clear that the British military were going to win the war. Unsurprisingly, the Argentine media has painted Margaret Thatcher in a somewhat different light, highlighting that she considered putting the disputed Falkland Islands under some kind of control by the United Nations.

Margaret Thatcher opened the door for democracy in Argentina

While Thatcher’s immediate goal in 1982 was to assure that Britain would retain control of the Falklands, the repercussions of her decision to deploy her country’s military had other effects. In London, such bold leadership helped her government improve its popularity among the population. But it is regarding Argentina that Thatcher had perhaps the most influence to open the door of democracy and the end of the cruel dictators.

The dispute over the Falklands islands has become a particularly sensitive issue in Argentina and part of that country’s national identity. The recent March 2013 referendum in which the inhabitants of the islands overwhelmingly voted to remain as a British overseas territory reopened an old wound in Argentina society (something that Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was quick to capitalize on to increase her population). Hence, it is doubtful if the “Iron Lady” will be fondly remembered in that country. At the time of this writing, the websites of the Argentine presidency and the Argentine embassy in London have not yet uploaded any statements regarding Thatcher’s passing.

Thatcher went to war with the South American country to protect her citizens in the South Atlantic and ended up, indirectly, may have helped democracy return to Argentina. Maybe history down the road will remember her like that (though probably not by Argentine history textbooks).

Read more: http://www.voxxi.com/margaret-thatcher-argentina-dictatorship/#ixzz2Py37QpWT