Zona Militar: "El astillero Metal Shark de los EE. UU. entregó al nuevo buque de patrulla Arcturus a la Armada de la República Dominicana" / "The US shipyard Metal Shark delivered the new patrol vessel Arcturus to the Navy of the Dominican Republic"

 "El astillero Metal Shark de los EE. UU. entregó al nuevo buque de patrulla Arcturus a la Armada de la República Dominicana"

Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

Zona Militar

13 de Septiembre, 2025

Publicado: https://www.zona-militar.com/2025/09/13/el-astillero-metal-shark-de-los-ee-uu-entrego-al-nuevo-buque-de-patrulla-arcturus-a-la-armada-de-la-republica/

El astillero estadounidense Metal Shark entregó el buque de patrulla costera cercana (NCPV) Arcturus, CG-114, a la Armada de la República Dominicana. La nave es el séptimo NCPV construido por el astillero para aliados de Estados Unidos en el Gran Caribe. 

 

 

"The US shipyard Metal Shark delivered the new patrol vessel Arcturus to the Navy of the Dominican Republic"

 Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

Zona Militar

13 September 2025

Published: https://www.zona-militar.com/en/2025/09/13/the-us-shipyard-metal-shark-delivered-the-new-patrol-vessel-arcturus-to-the-navy-of-the-dominican-republic/ 

The US Shipyard Metal Shark has delivered the Near Coastal Patrol Vessel (NCPV) Arcturus, CG-114, to the Navy of the Dominican Republic (Armada de República Dominicana). The ship is the seventh NCPV built by the shipyard for US allies across the Greater Caribbean.

 

 

Shephard: "Metal Shark starts production on HSMUSVs as US shipyard targets further Caribbean orders"

 

 

"Metal Shark starts production on HSMUSVs as US shipyard targets further Caribbean orders"

Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

Naval Warfare

Shephard

8 May 2025

Published: https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/naval-warfare/metal-shark-starts-production-on-hsmusvs-as-us-shipyard-targets-further-caribbean-orders/

 

The US shipyard’s new High Speed Maneuverable Unmanned Surface Vessel (HSMUSV) will have a range of more than 500 nautical miles.

 

Shephard: "Haiti crisis forces Caribbean militaries to prepare for intervention"

 

"Haiti crisis forces Caribbean militaries to prepare for intervention"

Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

Defence Notes

Shephard Media

12 March, 2024

Originally published: https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/defence-notes/haiti-crisis-forces-caribbean-militaries-to-prepare-for-intervention/

As gangs gain control of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s Caribbean neighbours have been preparing to intervene in the failed state, with the US and other partners waiting in the wings with equipment and financial support.

Continue reading... 

CIMSEC: Rising to Lead: Female Commanding Officers in Latin America’s Navies

"Rising to Lead: Female Commanding Officers in Latin America’s Navies"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
The Southern Tide Column
Center for International Maritime Security
April 16, 2020
Originally published:  http://cimsec.org/rising-to-lead-female-commanding-officers-in-latin-americas-navies/43439

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.

“We focus on partnerships…Our partners want to work with us. They want the advantage of the United States education, training, exercises and military equipment. It’s the best in the world. And so it’s up to us to deliver that in a way that’s relevant and also provides a return on investment for American taxpayer. So that is our focus.” –Navy Adm. Craig S. Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command, before the Senate Armed Services Committee July 9, 2019.

By Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

A historical milestone was reached in Uruguay as Capitan Valeria Sorrenti became the first female commander of an Uruguayan Navy vessel. With that said, it is important to keep in mind that she is only the latest example of a growing trend. In recent years there were a number of positive “firsts” when it comes to female naval officers taking command of ships among various Latin American navies, a trend that will hopefully continue.

Continue Reading....

Interview: Experts say floating Chinese hospital helps win hearts and minds

"Experts say floating Chinese hospital helps win hearts and minds"
By Bill Bainbridge on Pacific Beat

  
Pacific Beat with Catherine Graue
ABC Radio Australia

18 July 2018
Originally published: http://www.abc.net.au/radio-australia/programs/pacificbeat/china-soft-diplomacy-ship/10006638

Audio of interview available: http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/radioaustralia/radioaustralia/audio/201807/pba-2018-07-18-china-soft-diplomacy-ship.mp3

China's floating hospital known as the 'Peace Ark' has weighed anchor from Port Moresby Harbour and set sail for Vanuatu and Fiji and Tonga, before it then heads to South and Central America.

It spent just over a week docked in the Papua New Guinea capital, where it treated more than 4,000 people.

China says the humanitarian mission is about helping its friends and allies, but security analysts say it's also a way of winning hearts and minds in an increasingly contested Pacific.

Duration: 3min 55sec

Broadcast: Wed 18 Jul 2018, 6:00am

CIMSEC: Taiwanese Navy Friendship Flotilla Visits Latin American and Caribbean Allies

"Taiwanese Navy Friendship Flotilla Visits Latin American and Caribbean Allies"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
"The Southern Tide"
Center for International Maritime Security
9 May, 2018
Originally published: http://cimsec.org/taiwanese-navy-friendship-flotilla-visits-latin-american-caribbean-allies/36438

Written by W. 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.

“The security environment in Latin America and the Caribbean is characterized by complex, diverse, and non-traditional challenges to U.S. interests.” Admiral Kurt W. Tidd, Commander, U.S. Southern Command, before the 114^th Congress Senate Armed Services Committee, 10 March 2016.

By W. Alejandro Sanchez

A three-ship training flotilla belonging to the Republic of China (ROC/Taiwan visited Central American and Caribbean states as Taipei strives to maintain close ties with regional allies. Taiwan regularly sends high-ranking defense officials and flotillas as part of goodwill initiatives in the Western Hemisphere, these initiatives will be even more important as the Dominican Republic announced at the end of April that it would sever relations with Taiwan and establish them with the People’s Republic of China.

 Friendship Flotilla 2018

Taiwan’s friendship flotilla No. 107 (Flotilla de la Amistad in Spanish), is comprised of “Pan Shi, a modern and sleek Fast Combat Support Ship, Pan Chao, an older, U.S.-designed frigate, and Kuen Wing, a more recent, French-made stealth frigate,” according to AFP. There are around 800 personnel on board in total, including an unspecified number of cadets from the ROC Naval Academy who are utilizing the voyage to learn how to operate in the high seas.

The flotilla commenced its training voyage by first visiting the Marshall Islands; while in the Western Hemisphere it visited the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. The local and Taiwanese media have covered the visit during each port call. For example, the  Nicaraguan newspaper El Nuevo Diario has noted that the last time a Taiwanese flotilla visited the Central American country was in 2016 while other outlets mentioned that this is the sixth time that such a visit has occurred.

Meanwhile the Minister of Defense of El Salvador, Munguía Payés, reportedly praised bilateral relations, stating that “the armed forces of El Salvador and of Taiwan … are and will always be an important factor not only when it comes to the internal security of our respective nations but also supporters of development and guarantors of democracy.”

Taiwan, China, and Latin America

Even with recent advances in naval technology and the ability to resupply at sea, it is still necessary for vessels traveling far from their nation’s territorial waters to be allowed to dock at friendly ports and conduct exercises with friendly naval forces from other nations. The problem is that Taiwan is running out of ports in the Western Hemisphere to dock its naval platforms and engage in constructive naval initiatives with friendly forces as regional governments switch from recognizing Taipei to Beijing. As previously mentioned the DR switched at the end of April, Panama switched in 2017, while Costa Rica did the same a decade ago, in 2007. The DR’s switch is somewhat embarrassing to Taipei, as the flotilla docked in Santo Domingo in mid-April, only to have the Dominican government switch to Beijing two weeks later.

While Beijing is gaining new allies in the Western Hemisphere, Chinese naval presence in Latin America and the Caribbean is pretty limited: a destroyer Shijiazhuang and the supply ship Hongzehu visited Chile in 2009; four years later, destroyer Lanzhou and frigate Liuzhou visited Argentina in 2013. Additionally, China’s Peace Ark (866 Daishan Dao), a Type 920 hospital ship that is operated by the People’s Liberation Army Navy, has visited the Western Hemisphere as part of “Harmonious Mission 2011” and “Harmonious Mission 2015.” Nevertheless, if more regional governments recognize Beijing (and there are constant rumors about which will be the next country to do so), and as Beijing seeks to project its naval presence well past its borders, there may be a larger Chinese naval presence in the Western Hemisphere in the coming years.

The Flotilla in Context

The visit of the three-vessel Taiwanese flotilla in itself is not meaningful as Taiwan does not have bases in the Western Hemisphere, nor does Taipei have some kind of collective security-type defense treaty with regional countries. In other words, this visit does not signify that Taiwan would come to the aid of one of its regional partners, should one of them be attacked by a third party. Hence, the international media has placed the visit in the context of Taipei-Beijing and Taipei-Washington relations; for example Reuters published a piece titled “Taiwan warships drop anchor in Nicaragua amid sinking ties with China,” while the Strait Times titled its own report on the subject, “China demands halt of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, as island stresses Central America ties with navy visit.”

Additionally, given ongoing tensions with China, there have been a number of reports about the Taiwanese Navy undergoing  a modernization process to obtain new platforms. There have been similar discussions in Washington regarding what kind of weaponry should the U.S. sell Taiwan. It is worth noting that in 2017 the Taiwanese Navy received two decommissioned Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates but ongoing Washington-Beijing tensions seem to hint that more modern equipment (including submarine technology) could be sold to Taipei as part of ever-changing geopolitics in Asia.

While the recent visit of a Taiwanese flotilla will not affect Central American or Caribbean geopolitics, its use is more symbolic, as it demonstrates that the Asian nation strives to maintain diplomatic relations with its remaining friends in the Western Hemisphere. Taiwan’s naval diplomacy, unlike similar initiatives by other countries, is not so much about maintaining cordial defense relations, but maintaining diplomatic relations. Countries like El Salvador and Nicaragua still recognize Taiwan, but the recent loss of DR, which occurred right after the flotilla visited the country, is an example that such initiatives, defense and others, must be constant.

W. Alejandro Sanchez is a researcher who focuses on geopolitical, military and cyber security issues in the Western Hemisphere. Follow him on Twitter: @W_Alex_Sanchez.

IHS Jane's: Dominican Army expands mission on Haitian border

"Dominican Army expands mission on Haitian Border"
W. Alejandro Sanchez
IHS Jane's Defense Weekly - Country Risk
January 27, 2016
Originally published: http://www.janes.com/article/57547/dominican-army-expands-mission-on-haitian-border

The Dominican Republic Army will expand its efforts to monitor the border with Haiti due to ongoing violence in the neighbouring country.

Major General José Eugenio Matos de la Cruz, commander of the army, has announced that new surveillance posts have been constructed, including one in La Vigía. The military will also deploy additional troops and vehicles to monitor the 360 km border that separates the two countries.

On 23 January Haiti's presidential elections were suspended as Jude Celestin, the opposition candidate, refused to participate, alleging fraud. The situation has sparked major protests and reported violence.

COMMENT

It is unclear if any violence has spilled over to the Dominican Republic so far; Gen Matos has declared that "everything is normal [tranquil] on the border".

To read the full article, Client Login

(124 of 168 words)

VOXXI: Improving U.S.-Cuba relations: Bad for the Dominican Republic’s tourism industry?

"Improving U.S.-Cuba Relations: Bad for the Dominican Republic's Tourism Industry"
W. Alejandro Sanchez
VOXXI
December 19, 2014
Originally published: http://voxxi.com/2014/12/us-cuba-dominican-republics-tourism/

The world continues to analyze and ponder the future of U.S.-Cuba relations following President Obama’s landmark decision to seek the normalization of relations with the Caribbean state. However, there is another factor to keep in mind: how will improved U.S.-Cuba relations and the now realistic possibility that the embargo will be lifted in the near future affect the Caribbean and, in particular, the Dominican Republic?

By focusing on the present and futures status of Caribbean tourism, one could argue that a Washington-Havana rapprochement may not be beneficial for everyone.

Bad for tourism?

The State Department has published a fact sheet of the key points of President Obama’s December 17 speech. One section discusses an expansion of travel to the island, stating that U.S. travelers will now be able to go to Cuba for family visits; journalistic activities; professional research and professional meetings; educational activities; public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic and other competitions; and exhibitions, among others.

To phrase this another way, there are now more options that U.S. citizens can use to travel to Cuba. Simply travelling to the island for tourist purposes is still an issue, but we can expect to see more U.S. colleges open study-abroad programs in the island (for the record, several universities already have them, including American University).

The issue here is that Americans will now want to take their dollars to spend in exotic Cuba, instead of visiting other Caribbean states. After President Obama gave his speech, the news website Dominicantoday.com posted a short story which argued that the changes between Washington and Havana “will likely affect Dominican Republic in sensitive economic areas such as tourism, as local industry leaders have for years cautioned that a Washington-Havana thaw would surely siphon off the number of visitors to the Caribbean’s biggest economy.”

The aforementioned article does not mention which “local industry leaders” have warned about this possibility, but this issue does deserve greater discussion.

Facts and the future

The Dominican Republic and Cuba were the two major beneficiaries of tourism in the Caribbean throughout most of 2014. According to a December report by the Caribbean Tourism Organization, some 4.2 million tourists traveled to the Dominican Republic between January and October, while Cuba received 2.2 million between January and September. Jamaica comes at a slightly distant third place with 1.7 million.

These numbers make Cuba and the DR adversaries, as they are the two major destinations for tourists (i.e. Americans, Canadians or Europeans). Nevertheless, a 2005 study on Caribbean tourism muses that when the status quo changes between the U.S. and Cuba it is feasible to foresee a dramatic change in the U.S. market which “will change the rules of the game of Caribbean tourism.”

Given President Obama’s recent speech, it does seem like the rules of the game are about to change. The Dominican Republic’s newspaper Diario Libreexplains how companies like the cruise line Carnival Corp., the discount airline JetBlue and even Orbitz are now ready for the embargo to be fully lifted in order to begin offering deals for American tourists to travel to Cuba. What this means regarding revenue loss for the Dominican Republic remains to be seen.

It is worth highlighting that it is not just the possibility of Cuba opening for business that may threaten tourism to the DR in the near future. Other Caribbean states are also receiving more visitors; case in point is Haiti, which received over 362 thousand tourists in the first nine months of 2014 – this is a 21% increase from the same period in 2013. Likewise, Venezuela is turning to its Caribbean beaches in order to jumpstart its flagging economy. Hence, while Cuba is the DR’s major tourism adversary, we should not forget other nations that are also promoting tourism to enrich their coffers.

As a final point, it is important to remember that if American tourists choose to visit Cuba instead of the DR (whenever the embargo is lifted) this will not be solely because of the chance to visit an exotic location like Cuba, which has been closed to Americans for decades – although this is an obvious reason. If tourism to the DR were to decrease, it would be also because of internal issues that the DR government has yet to fix, such as citizen insecurity.

As we continue to discuss the future of U.S.-Cuba relations after December 17, it is similarly important to keep in mind what this rapprochement will mean for the Caribbean region. The effect of closer U.S.-Cuba relations on tourism to the Dominican Republic may not have an obvious connection at first sight, but if the embargo is lifted and Americans do begin pouring into Cuba, the coffers of the various Caribbean states that depend on tourism revenue, including the DR, will take a big hit.

VOXXI: Chikungunya virus in Venezuela tests post-Chavez health sector

"Chikungunya virus in Venezuela tests post-Chavez health sector"
W. Alejandro Sanchez
VOXXI
July 18, 2014
Originally published: http://voxxi.com/2014/07/18/chikungunya-venezuela-health-care/

As of mid-July, there more than 40 cases of Chikungunya have been reported in Venezuela.

Since the virus appeared in the Caribbean in late 2013, cases are now being reported throughout the region, including Central and South American nations. Although the infection is not lethal, its arrival to the mainland is problematic. At a time when Venezuela’s health sector is suffering from the country’s economic crisis and the long-term effects of Hugo Chavez’s presidency, chikungunya will sternly test the country’s health agencies.

Chikungunya expands in Venezuela

On June 26, the Venezuelan Ministry of Health confirmed the first two cases of chikungunya in the country. Two patients, a 55-year-old woman and her 25-year-old son, residents of Maracay (north-central Venezuela) were originally treated for dengue. However, further tests confirmed that they were suffering from chikungunya.

The virus has continued to spread and, by July 15, there were 45 confirmed cases. The ages of the infected vary, from 4-year-old toddlers to 55-year-old adults. It seems that chikungunya is now present in Caracas, the capital, as well as states such as Bolivar, Amazonas, Zulia, and Portuguesa.

Estimations of the number of people infected by chikungunya vary, as new cases are constantly being reported. With the chance that the virus is mistaken as dengue, these figures are likely underestimated.

According to an April PAHO press release, there were more than 15,000 suspected cases in the Caribbean by the end of March. On the other hand, a June 19 article by the Spanish news agency EFE explains that, there were 4,800 confirmed cases and 165 thousand suspected cases of chikungunya in more than 20 countries at the time of reporting.

Basic facts on Chikungunya

According to Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Aedes Aegypti or the Aedes Albopictus, two types of mosquitoes, transmit chikungunya. These insects live and breed along the Atlantic coasts of the Western Hemisphere, from the U.S. down to Argentina.

Chikungunya possesses remarkable similarities to dengue, and therefore patients are often mistaken as suffering from one instead of the other. PAHO explains that about three to seven days after a person is bitten by an infected mosquito, high fever, headache, and joint and muscle pain strikes the individual.

As it stands, there is a no specific treatment or vaccine to cure chikungunya.

Tests for Venezuela’s health sector

The extent of the virus’s reach in Venezuela remains to be seen, although Peru and the United States have already reported cases.

Fast methods of transportation dramatically increase chikungunya’s spread since individuals may contract the virus in one country, with symptoms only displaying in another (as it takes days for the disease to manifest itself). Case in point, Venezuela’s first cases of chikungunya originated in the Dominican Republic (DR). Likewise, the Peruvian media reports that chikungunya arrived in the Andean nation via travelers that came from the DR.

As for Venezuela, chikungunya will pose a major challenge to its health sector. Venezuelan Minister of Health Francisco Armadaand other senior officials regularly provide updates on the situation, praising the country’s health agencies. For example, when six new cases of chikungunya were reported in late June, Jesus Toro, director of Environmental Health in the Ministry of Health, praised the work of public and private health agencies. These institutions have been reporting new cases as they arise throughout the country.

Nevertheless, Venezuela’s economic struggles have had a deleterious effect on its health sector. A March 20 article in the Venezuelan daily “El Universal” explains that medicine for patients who suffer from hemophilia, a blood disorder, is now scarce. The daily also states that Venezuela imports up to 60% of the medicine it utilizes.

Understaffed and under-equipped hospitals means that sick Venezuelans will have to wait more time to know whether they have chikungunya (and not dengue).

Venezuela’s health sector was dramatically affected by the lengthy rule of the late president, Hugo Chavez. In a controversial decision, President Chavez allowed Cuban doctors to operate in the South American country in order to provide aid to impoverished communities. The virus will now test how well Venezuela’s health sector, can perform to stop the disease from spreading further.

At the time of writing, Venezuela’s situation is not dire, medically speaking. Chikungunya has spread in recent weeks, but it has yet to reach alarming levels, as it is in some Caribbean islands. On Caracas’ side, the virus is not lethal, but Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro must avoid mass hysteria among an already tense population and prevent chikungunya from becoming an epidemic.

How Chavez’s health sector reforms and the recent economic troubles will affect Venezuela’s ability to deal with a tricky disease will be determined in the coming week.

VOXXI: Maduro skips trip to Chile, avoids showdown with Biden

Maduro skips trip to Chile, avoids showdown with Biden
W. Alejandro Sanchez
VOXXI
March 12, 2014
Originally published: http://voxxi.com/2014/03/12/biden-chile-maduro-absent/

The highly expected showdown between Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden did not occur. The reason: The Venezuelan leader canceled his trip to Chile for the inauguration of President Michelle Bachelet on Tuesday, March 11.

Meanwhile, President Bachelet’s ceremony went smoothly, and she will lead her country until 2018. She certainly will have plenty of challenges at the domestic and international level, including returning Chile to regional preeminence.

Biden visits Santiago

In theory all eyes were supposed to be on President Bachelet. She is Chile’s only female head of state, and she is now a two-term president; she previously ruled from 2006 to 2010. After leaving the presidency, she had a fairly successful time as the executive director of UN Women. However, the attention was focused on what would happen if Vice President Biden and President Maduro met while in Santiago. The general consensus was that there would not be a memorable photo shoot between the two–unlike when President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro shook hands during Nelson Mandela’s funeral.

Relations between Washington and Caracas have reached a new low point in recent weeks due to theongoing protests in Venezuela. In late February Caracas expelled three diplomats from the consular services at the U.S. embassy in Venezuela. The Venezuelan government stated that the three diplomats had met with Venezuelan university students, implying that Washington supports the protesters. Washington retaliated by expelling three Venezuelan diplomats.

Moreover, at the beginning of March, the Organization of American States passed a resolution essentially supporting the Venezuelan government through this crisis. Only Panama, the U.S. and Canada voted against this resolution while all other members of the OAS (which include all Western Hemisphere nations except Cuba) voted in favor. In retaliation for siding with Washington, President Maduro broke diplomatic relations with the Central American state.
Ultimately, the Venezuelan head of state decided not to go to Santiago.

SEE ALSO: Nicolas Maduro lashes out against idea of foreign intervention

Maduro is absent from Chile

Arevalo Mendez, Venezuela’s ambassador to Chile, declared that “President Maduro is very busy, he has not left Caracas as he is dealing with internal issues.”

It is not difficult to imagine what has President Maduro so occupied these days.

It is probably better that Vice President Biden and President Maduro do not meet in order to avoid a verbal joust. Nevertheless, this is one small diplomatic victory while Washington-Caracas relations remain thorny, to put things very mildly.

Meanwhile a U.S. administration official told the Associated Press that the Vice President has discussed the “difficult situation” with other Latin American leaders in Chile. It is doubtful that Vice President Biden may get much regional support, considering the U.S. diplomatic fiasco at the OAS.

The heads of state and ministers of foreign affairs of UNASUR (a regional bloc made up of all 12 South American nations) will meet on Wednesday, March 12, in Santiago. It is expected that the situation in Venezuela will be discussed.

Remember Bachelet?

As for Bachelet herself, her inauguration enjoyed the presence of senior policymakers. Besides Biden, other VIP guests in attendance included presidents like Peru’s Ollanta Humala, Mexico’s Enrique Peña Nieto, Bolivia’s Evo Morales and Prince Felipe de Borbon, heir to the Spanish crown.

It is worth noting that Bachelet has stated that one of her foreign policy objectives is to improve Chile’s influence in Latin America.

“Chile has lost its stance in the region, its relations with its neighbors are problematic, a mercantile vision of our Latin American relations has been imposed,” the head of state has declared.

At the foreign policy level, the head of state will certainly have plenty of challenges. Most pressing is creating a unified South American response to the Venezuelan crisis. As the aforementioned UNASUR meeting will take place on Wednesday in Santiago, President Bachelet, now in command at La Moneda, will have to manage the discussions between the attending heads of state.

Additionally, in the near future President Bachelet will have to address issues like the fallout of the International Court of Justice’s ruling on a maritime dispute between Chile and Peru, as well as an ongoing border dispute with Bolivia. Moreover, if Bachelet wants Chile to recover its presence in the global stage, Santiago should give priority to its current seat at the UN Security Council .

Biden cancels visit the DR

As a corollary, Vice President Biden was scheduled to visit the Dominican Republic as the second stop in his brief Latin American tour. Nevertheless the Vice President cancelled his trip at the last minute in order to return to Washington, where he will meet with President Obama and Ukrainian interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

It seems that both President Bachelet and Vice President Biden will have a busy Wednesday ahead of them.

VOXXI: Cuba hosts the 2014 CELAC Summit

Cuba hosts the 2014 CELAC Summit
W. Alejandro Sanchez
VOXXI
January 28, 2014
Originally published: http://voxxi.com/2014/01/27/cuba-hosts-celac-summit/

On February 28-29 most Western Hemisphere heads of state will meet under the umbrella of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). Not much has happened in terms of regional integration over the past year; if anything, Latin America and the Caribbean seem to be breaking into smaller factions. Nevertheless, the 2014 summit will be a memorable event, which includes high-profile guests, and will occur at a notable location: Cuba.

A Memorable Meeting for CELAC

In theory, the CELAC summit (the 2^nd in the group’s short history) has much on its side to be a historical event. Practically all of the  Latin American and  Caribbean leaders are expected to attend: Peru’s Ollanta Humala, Mexico’s Enrique Pena Nieto, Uruguay’s Jose Mujica, as well as Guyana’s Donald Ramotar. Also present will be Argentina’s Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, an important development considering the leader’s infrequent public appearances  due to concerns about her health.

Even more, there will be two distinguished guests: Jose Miguel Insulza, Secretary General of the Organization of American States, and Ban-Ki Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations. Insulza’s trip to the Caribbean state is noteworthy as it is the first time in more than 50 years that a sitting leader of the OAS will visit the island.

Nevertheless, neither President Obama nor Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will attend, as neither the U.S. nor Canada are members of CELAC.

With a mostly full list of heads of state in attendance, an idealist would hope that the heads of state will draft a “Declaration of Havana” that could serve as a blueprint for a new era of Latin American and Caribbean integration. That is the difficult part.

Potential Topics

Officially the focus of the CELAC summit will be combating poverty and social inequality. However, the real “essence” of the multinational gathering will be the issues that will be discussed either during the speeches of the heads of state  or during sideline meetings throughout the summit’s two days.

One interesting issue to watch out for is whether Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff will take her time at the podium to critique the NSA. The Brazilian leader cancelled a trip to Washington this past October after it was revealed that the NSA had spied on several prominent leaders, including herself. President Barack Obama gave an important speech on reforming the NSA on January 17, and President Rousseff may use her time in Havana to offer the U.S. leader a rebuttal.

Additionally on Monday January 27, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) gave its ruling regarding a maritime dispute between Peru and Chile. In 2008, Peru turned to the ICJ to get a third-party ruling on the 38,000 square kilometers of rich sea life that both countries contest and this Monday the ICJ gave its final ruling. Presidents Humala of Peru and Pinera of Chile will both attend the summit in Havana, and it can be assumed that the two will either meet during the summit or at least mention the maritime dispute during their respective speeches. This will give an idea of the future of Peruvian-Chilean relations.

Panama

There is one confirmed country whose head of state will not attend the CELAC summit: Panama. Floreal Garrido, Director of Foreign Policy and the “fifth-ranking official in Panama’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” will  travel to the Caribbean island instead of President Ricardo Martinelli.

The reason for Martinelli’s absence is not because he is needed in his country –the crisis over the Canal’s expansion notwithstanding–but rather due to tense relations between Panama and Cuba.

Namely, in July 2013 a cargo ship originating from Cuba and bound for North Korea (which could be a violation of the international weapons embargo on the Asian country) was stopped as it passed through the Canal. Upon inspection, it was revealed that the vessel carried “20 tons of anti-aircraft radars and missile parts, MiG jets, motors for the warplanes and other munitions.”

The Cuban government has argued that the weaponry was going to North Korea to be repaired and then would be returned to the island. A team of United Nations specialists is currently analyzing the weaponry.

Is Latin America More Integrated?

Ultimately, CELAC’s goal of promoting integration among its members, is not an easy task given its 33 member states with different national interests.

Recent commentaries by Latin American analysts highlight how the region has fractured into two groups. On the one hand, we have free trade-friendly (and generally U.S.-friendly) governments in Peru, Mexico, Chile and Colombia, which have created the Pacific Alliance. Conversely, Venezuela and the ALBA bloc, the brainchild of the late Hugo Chavez, has begun losing some of its relevance and influence due to the deteriorating economy of several of its members, particularly Venezuela.

Moreover, in Havana the 15 nations of the Caribbean Community may try to unite–as difficult as that may be nowadays–to speak as a single voice about Caribbean issues. One issue that could (and should) be addressed is the controversial law passed by the Dominican Republic that removes citizenship from Haitian migrants.

The aforementioned issues could transform the CELAC summit into a place where we will hear a varied list of critiques and differing political and economic visions from leaders across the hemisphere. The key issue: whether a united Latin America and the Caribbean can emerge from these varying points of view, may be too much for any idealist to hope for, at least in the near future.