Issue Brief posted July 12, 2012 by Ambassador Robert J Callahan, Ray Walser, Ph.D.
No New Property Waiver for Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega
If the Obama Administration is serious about promoting democracy in Nicaragua, it can emphatically do so later this month when it decides whether to grant a property waiver to President Daniel Ortega’s corrupt and authoritarian government.
If it opts to withhold the waiver, it will compel the U.S. to oppose Nicaragua’s loan applications at the Inter-American…
WebMemo posted January 6, 2012 by Ray Walser, Ph.D., James Phillips
Iran Moves West: Ahmadinejad's 2012 Latin American Visit
On January 8, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lands in Venezuela to start a brief but highly symbolic Latin American visit. The Iranian leader aims to bolster ties with Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and some of the region’s most strident anti-American leaders. For the Obama Administration, the Iranian visit reflects a continuing erosion of U.S. influence in the region and…
WebMemo posted January 26, 2010 by Ray Walser, Ph.D.
Battling Chavez’s Radical Vision for an Anti-U.S. Honduras
On January 27, Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo will don the sash of presidential office in Honduras. He becomes the eighth civilian president since military rule ended in 1982. Lobo and a new congress dominated by his National Party take power in one of the Western Hemisphere’s poorest countries—a nation badly scarred by a seven-month upheaval that culminated with the removal of…
Backgrounder posted January 20, 2010 by Ray Walser, Ph.D.
State Sponsors of Terrorism: Time to Add Venezuela to the List
Abstract: The U.S. officially designates four countries as state sponsors of terrorism--Iran, Syria, Cuba, and Sudan. It is high time to add Venezuela to the list. Far from being merely a populist showman and bully, Hugo Chávez is a reckless leader who collaborates with Colombian narcoterrorists and Islamist terrorists, pals around with brutal Iranian dictator Mahmoud …
WebMemo posted October 22, 2009 by James M. Roberts
The U.S.-Panama Free Trade Agreement: A Good Deal for America
For the past nine months, the Obama Administration and Congress
have allowed three free trade agreements (FTAs) negotiated by the
Bush Administration -- Colombia, Panama, and South Korea -- to
languish unapproved. This delay hurts American workers, as each of
the agreements offers its own unique benefit to the U.S. economy.
All three FTAs will spur economic…
WebMemo posted July 27, 2009 by Ray Walser, Ph.D.
Honduras's Conservative Awakening
Since June 28--when the Honduran military placed Manuel Zelaya
on an aircraft bound for San Jose, Costa Rica--massive media
coverage, diplomatic maneuvering, and political theater have
accompanied efforts to restore Zelaya to the presidency of his
Central American nation.
In the aftermath of his exile, Manuel Zelaya's shift from the
political center toward both…
Backgrounder posted February 19, 2009 by Ray Walser, Ph.D.
What to Do about Hugo Chávez: Venezuela's Challenge to Security in the Americas
As the Obama Administration settles into the White House and
reviews its foreign policy agenda, one significant topic likely to
emerge early will be U.S. relations with Venezuela and its radical,
anti-American president Hugo Chávez. The orderly
transition from a Republican to a Democratic
Administration in the U.S. in January 2009 contrasts with the
polarizing…
Backgrounder posted February 5, 2009 by Ray Walser, Ph.D.
Latin America and the U.S.: Building a Partnership for the Western Hemisphere
In the face of multiple challenges from distant Iran, Iraq,
North Korea, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, it may be easy to forget
that Latin America and the Caribbean are so close at hand. The
region may not be America's backyard, but it is certainly very much
our neighborhood. The United States shares a 2,000-mile border
with Mexico that is still far too porous. Cuba…
WebMemo posted January 8, 2009 by James M. Roberts, Ray Walser, Ph.D.
10 Points for President-Elect Obama's Latin America Strategy
Latin America and the Caribbean may not sit high on
President-elect Barack Obama's foreign policy agenda, but
geography, trade, investment, migration, and transnational threats
draw Western Hemisphere issues inexorably closer to the top of the
list. The new Administration will quickly discover opportunities
and risks in the region. As a host of appointees and…
Executive Summary posted January 11, 2008 by James M. Roberts
Executive Summary: Nicaragua's President Ortega: The Balancing Act After One Year
Marketing himself as a completely redesigned 2007 model, with
sleek new lines and reassuring sound bites, Sandinista leader
Daniel Ortega persuaded 38 percent of Nicaraguan voters to
elect him president in November 2006 on his third try since leaving
office in 1990. Ortega, now 62, assumed the presidency for the
second time in January 2007. As he approaches the…
Backgrounder posted January 11, 2008 by James M. Roberts
Nicaragua's President Ortega: The Balancing Act After One Year
Marketing himself as a completely redesigned 2007 model, with
sleek new lines and reassuring sound bites, Sandinista leader
Daniel Ortega persuaded 38 percent of Nicaraguan voters to elect
him president in November 2006 on his third try since leaving
office in 1990. Ortega, now 62, assumed the presidency for the
second time in January 2007. As he approaches the first…
WebMemo posted November 28, 2007 by James M. Roberts
Nicaragua: Is Daniel Ortega a "Vegetarian" or a Carnivore?
Marketing himself as a pro-democracy, "vegetarian" leftist,
complete with reassuring sound bites, Sandinista leader Daniel
Ortega finally recaptured the presidency in November 2006 with a
mere 38 percent of Nicaraguan votes. It was his third re-election
attempt since leaving that office in 1990. Ortega, now 62, assumed
the presidency for the second time in January…
Audio Recorded on June 14, 2006
A Discussion Featuring Eduardo Montealegre, Presidential Candidate for Nicaragua
Location: The Heritage Foundation's Lehrman Auditorium
Eduardo Montealegre is a frontrunner in national polls for the
November 2006 presidential elections in Nicaragua. A former
Secretary of the Presidency in the current administration of
Enrique Bolaños, he also served as Minister of Finance and
Public Credit. Montealegre's Nicaragua Liberal Alliance…