The “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 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 readingAs NATO withers, whither NATO?
As world leaders gather for the NATO summit in Wales during the first week of September, they’ll need to do some collective soul-searching on the alliance’s future. NATO served its original purpose in preventing the
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
Continue readingA Second Look at the China-Brazil Relationship
There are rumors that China’s President Xi Jinping requested the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit this year in Fortaleza, Brazil be held in July so he could attend the World Cup final. Accord
Continue readingCuba and the China Model
Since coming to power, Cuba’s President Raúl Castro unleashed a series of important, albeit limited, economic reforms to revitalize the stagnant Cuban economy. Many analysts use the shorthand “Chinese model” to
Continue readingThe Toll of China’s Slowdown Depends on Latin America’s Policy Choices
The earthquake recently shaking the coast of Chile left relatively little physical damage in that nation but as always with cataclysmic episodes the psychological effects last long after the earth ceases to tremble. On
Continue readingWhich Path for China in Latin America’s Development?
Politically and economically, Latin America is a continent divided in two, with one bloc of nations pursuing market-driven economic growth, free trade and regional integration based on economies of scale and another made
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