A law passed on October 10, 2009 in Argentina that will place controls on the media has generated suspicions that the government of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner hopes to actually restrict freedom of the press. The Law on Audiovisual Media came up for a vote in the Argentine Senate amidst widespread accusations of vote buying by the current executive. President Kirchner signed the bill in record time despite howls of protest, especially by the owners of Clarín - a...

In mid-September, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton critiqued Venezuela’s leader Hugo Chavez for his ongoing purchases of mostly Russian military equipment, arguing that this could trigger an arms race in South America. The statement has added fuel to the ongoing discussions about what form South America’s rearmament is taking and what this could come to mean for the security of the region. Observers fear an inter-state war could break out due to geopolitical tensions. Ongoing...

For those concerned with hemispheric security, the big question has always been how do we contain Chavez‘s expansionist ambitions. Under the Bush Administration, the answer, in the words of a Republican Senator was, “containment of Hugo Chavez should be undertaken by Latin American countries.” This conception was consistent with the idea of a non-interventionist policy in Latin America. Indeed, even under the hawkish Bush Administration the policy was one of good...

South American presidents expressed deep concerns over a United States plan to increase its military presence in Colombia at a Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) Summit in Quito, Ecuador, on Monday. Full details of the U.S.-Colombia military plan have not been released, but the U.S. is expected to have a significant presence at three air bases and two naval bases, in addition to the two Colombian military bases it currently operates in. The discussion of the U.S.-Colombia plan was...

Sometimes I ask myself if Hitler wasn't right when he wanted to finish with that race, through the famous holocaust, because if there are peoplethat are harmful to this country, they are the Jews, the Israelites. Today Mr. Romero Ellner is pure zelayista, hungry for power and not ashamed to say so. This explains why he has joined Venezuela's Hugo Chávez and Mr. Zelaya in targeting Jews. Mr. Chávez has allied himself with Iran to further his ability to rule unchecked in the...

As the tense political stalemate in Honduras continues, there are troubling signs that the current crisis has given rise to anti-Semitism and disturbing anti-Zionist conspiracy theories. The stalemate has led to charges from political leaders, media pundits and other key figures in the country that Israel and Jews were behind the ouster and intimidation of President Manuel Zelaya and that they are in cahoots with the de facto president, Robert Micheletti. These charges have emerged despite...

I have been reading a book on the history of the Ostjuden, or Eastern European jews, a sub-branch of the Ashkenazim. One almost constant theme during several hundred years of East European history is that whenever there was a major political conflict, Jews were blamed often by both sides for the problems of the country. Each time Poland rebelled against Russia, the Poles attacked the Jews for beings sympathetic to Russia and the Russians attacked the Jews for being sympathetic to Poland. Often...

Could the words “Brazilian fighter” begin evoking images unrelated to the Gracies? A proposed 50% boost to Brazil’s defense budget could be on its way to accomplishing that, and more. While the Navy and Army are also in line for funds to replace broken-down equipment, the fighters will be a critical centerpiece of the Forca Aerea Brasileira’s efforts. The 36+ aircraft buys under consideration are mostly the same set of 4+ generation fighters that were considered last...

Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez must be condemned for a venomous speech delivered in Damascus, while on a visit to the Syrian dictatorship, in which he described Israel as “genocidal,” “anti-peace” and implementing “America’s imperialist policies.” Chavez also praised Syria as the “architects and designers of the resistance,” while condemning American and European hegemony and the “unipolar” world order...

Reporters Without Borders said today that the last vestiges of independent news were under threat after the de facto government signed a decree yesterday banning “unauthorised” public meetings and giving itself the power to close media “damaging public order” “Three months to the day after the 28 June 2009 coup, basic rights and public freedoms are just empty words in Honduras”, the worldwide press freedom organisation said. The coup government was trying...