(Even more here)

February 26, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Thom Tillis, “I Support Trump’s Vision on Border Security. But I Would Vote Against the Emergency.” (The Washington Post, February 26, 2019).

I am a member of the Senate, and I have grave concerns when our institution looks the other way at the expense of weakening Congress’s power

• Julia Ainsley, “More Than 50 Ex-Officials Tell Trump National Emergency Not Justified” (NBC News, February 26, 2019).

Not only is the national emergency not justified, it could also be damaging to the interests of the United States, the authors say

• Heather Hurlburt, Maresa Strano, “National Emergencies Could Be a Step Toward Political Violence” (Vox, February 26, 2019).

The national emergency declaration and the profound cynicism that surrounds it are not just an attack on military construction and some other spending accounts. They represent an attack on the norms that preserve order and protect us from violence

• Erica Werner, “House Prepares to Vote on Overturning Trump’s Emergency Declaration” (The Washington Post, February 26, 2019).

Resolution is expected to pass in the chamber, but Republicans want to be sure the margin isn’t veto-proof

• Dan Spinelli, “Trump Bypassed Lawmakers to Build His Wall. Here’s How They Are Fighting Back.” (Mother Jones, February 26, 2019).

Trump could do an end-run around Congress and scrounge up funds from other dusty corners of the Pentagon’s budget, but he’ll still need to reckon with the unsavory prospect of depriving some Republican allies of signature projects

Central America Regional

• “Editorial: Build Central America, Not a Wall” (The New York Times, February 26, 2019).

America can slow the exodus of the desperate by investing in democracy, judicial reform and economic growth. So far, Mr. Trump has shown little interest

Colombia, Venezuela

• “Ya Van Mas de 300 Militares Venezolanos Que Han Salido de su Pais” (El Tiempo (Colombia), February 26, 2019).

Una vez en el territorio colombiano, cada uno debe buscar ayuda para su subsistencia. Algunos consiguen apoyo, pero otros deben buscar algún familiar o conocido

Colombia

• “El Desacuerdo de Paz: Balance de Lo Implementado a la Fecha” (El Espectador (Colombia), February 26, 2019).

Sectores políticos y de opinión pública creen que, aunque el gobierno Duque dice que no va a destruir lo pactado con las Farc, su estrategia es ponerle freno a la implementación y quitarle oxígeno por medio de los recursos

• Wesley Tomaselli, “Meet the Colombian el Chapo — ‘Otoniel’” (OZY, February 26, 2019).

Colombia’s most-wanted man, Dairo Antonio Úsuga, directs the wholesale cocaine trade, as well as terrorism against the state

• Susan Crabtree, “Trump Dumps Colombia Ambassador Pick as Region Simmers” (Real Clear Politics, February 26, 2019).

Conservative senators, led by Republicans Mike Lee and Ted Cruz, for more than a year have blocked the confirmation of career Foreign Service officer Joseph Macmanus to become ambassador to Colombia

Cuba

• Elisabeth Malkin, “Cubans Approve a Constitution, but Opponents Speak Out” (The New York Times, February 26, 2019).

Most significantly, it restored the word “communism” in the final version and scaled back a proposal to allow same-sex marriage

Dominican Republic, Western Hemisphere Regional

• U.S. Army Sergeant Ashley N Dotson, “U.S. Army South Hosts Conference of the American Armies” (Revista Dialogo (U.S. Southern Command), February 26, 2019).

Pike said the main objective of the conference is to create a CAA guide to countering threat networks. This guide will be based on U.S. doctrine, but the intent is to make it acceptable for all partner nations to improve interoperability

Guatemala

• Carolina Gamazo, “Una Mujer Quiere Ser Presidenta en Guatemala” (Revista Factum (El Salvador), February 26, 2019).

La tendencia feminista a nivel mundial –aunque ninguna de las candidatas defiende este concepto– refuerza la trayectoria política de largo aliento de las tres presidenciables: Sandra Torres, Thelma Aldana y Zury Ríos

• Leila Miller, “Guatemala Amnesty Bill Stirs Fears of Impunity and Revenge of Ex-Military” (The Los Angeles Times, February 26, 2019).

The bill has received pushback from the U.N., the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and other human rights groups that say it violates Guatemala’s international obligations to investigate human rights violations

• Enrique Naveda, “Luis Arreaga: La Lucha Contra la Corrupcion en Guatemala Sigue; «Es una Amenaza a Nuestra Propia Seguridad»” (Plaza Publica (Guatemala), February 26, 2019).

En apenas media hora de una entrevista concertada para hablar de las elecciones, el embajador menciona una de quincena veces esa última palabra: «corrupción»

Mexico

• , Alfredo Corchado, “Juarez, el Paso Grapple With Rising Tensions as Trump Policies Lead to Migrant Backup at Border” (The Dallas Morning News, February 26, 2019).

The number of asylum seekers arriving in this troubled city has reached a critical point as renewed drug violence explodes, creating what local leaders say is a pressure cooker

• Arturo Angel, “¿Como se Regulara el Uso de la Fuerza de la Guardia Nacional? Esto Dice la Primera Iniciativa” (Animal Politico (Mexico), February 26, 2019).

Esta es la primera de las tres leyes que requiere la Guardia Nacional. Se prohíbe uso de fuerza letal para retirar bloqueos y manifestaciones. Se autorizan armas de descargas eléctricas pero no balas de goma

• Maria Verza, “Us Sending Central American Migrant Minors Back to Mexico” (Associated Press, Associated Press, February 26, 2019).

Guillen said Monday that Mexico is accepting children who are accompanied by their parents, saying the numbers remain small

Venezuela

• Daniela Blandon, Jose De Cordoba, “‘I Didn’t Stop to Look Back’: More Venezuelan Soldiers, Police Defect” (The Wall Street Journal, February 26, 2019).

Over the past few days, at least 270 soldiers, National Guard troops and police officers have made similar escapes over the border to Colombia and Brazil

• “The Lima Group Must Address Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants, Call for Peaceful Multilateral Solutions” (Washington Office on Latin America, February 26, 2019).

In the letter, the signing organizations urge the regional bloc to commit to migration policies that include “durable, coordinated, long-term measures and from a protection perspective in favor of people from Venezuela”

• Emma Graham-Harrison, Joe Parkin Daniels, Sam Jones, “Venezuela: Us Increasingly Isolated as Allies Warn Against Use of Military Force” (The Guardian (Uk), February 26, 2019).

Brazil’s vice-president, retired general Hamilton Mourão, said on Monday that under no circumstances would his country allow the United States to intervene militarily from Brazilian territory

• Franco Ordonez, “In Colombia, Pence Lets Guaido Down Easy on Use of Military Force Against Maduro” (The Miami Herald, February 26, 2019).

What Pence ended up telling the young Venezuelan leader was not necessarily what he traveled so far to hear: Pence told Guaidó the Trump administration still believes in a peaceful resolution

• Ivan Briscoe, “Will Maduro’s Supporters Abandon Him?” (International Crisis Group, Foreign Affairs, February 26, 2019).

Listening to the Chavistas, we heard some pragmatism and openness to negotiation. The opening is a narrow one and full of mistrust

• Nicholas Casey, “The Battle at the Venezuelan Border” (The New York Times, February 26, 2019).

Venezuelans were in as much need of food as ever, the aid was sitting useless in Colombia, and Mr. Maduro appeared to remain fully in power

• “Editorial: A Peaceful Ploy Against Venezuela Failed. That Doesn’t Make Force the Answer.” (The Washington Post, February 26, 2019).

The Trump administration has repeatedly hinted at military intervention. But Saturday showed the regime is ready to call that bluff. That means Mr. Guaidó and his international alliance must settle in for a potentially prolonged economic and diplomatic siege

• Francisco Toro, “With U.S. Military Action, Venezuela Could Become the Libya of the Caribbean” (The Washington Post, February 26, 2019).

It’s a delicate, demanding task. And we need to trust the Trump administration to pull it off without a misstep. God help us all

• Barbara Starr, Ralph Ellis, “Us Flying More Reconnaissance Flights Off Venezuela, Military Sources Say” (CNN, February 26, 2019).

The officials would not detail which US military aircraft are being used, but the Navy and Air Force maintain several large fixed-wing aircraft capable of intercepting communications and monitoring the status of weaponry

• Doug Bandow, “America Shouldn’t Invade Venezuela” (The National Interest, February 26, 2019).

The civil militia has an official membership of 1.6 million. Just last month 86 percent of Venezuelans said they opposed foreign military action. Invaders might not find themselves hailed as liberators