Adam Isacson
In a hearing on April 29, the commander of U.S. Southern Command said pretty clearly that, when U.S. law bans training another security force for human rights reasons, "it's important" for Colombian soldiers and police, at U.S. urging, to provide that training instead. Even if this turns out not actually to be illegal, it makes clear why we need a dramatic increase in transparency over U.S.-backed training carried out by Colombian personnel.
A compilation of training exercises conducted by the U.S. military in the region between January and March.
Colombia’s armed forces have had a remarkably rough 30 days. The institution has been rocked by a series of scandals.
A matter which has come up with respect to counternarcotics is the FARC's insistence- this is a publice insistence, we don't know what they're saying at the table- but publicly, they're insisting on the elimination of the aerial eradication program, which in our view would be a great mistake.
Adam talks about a U.S.-backed coca eradication offensive in Peru, a delivery of U.S. helicopters and equipment to Guatemala, and a series of events affecting human rights and the judicial system in El Salvador.
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Adam looks at new data about U.S.-Mexico border security and migration, the upcoming election in Honduras, and how Latin American media commentators are viewing the U.S. government shutdown.
Subscribe to the "Just the Facts" podcast here and on iTunes. Thank you for listening.
Adam looks at Latin American leaders' statements at the UN General Assembly, and the current state of Colombia's peace process with the FARC guerrilla group.
Subscribe to the "Just the Facts" podcast here and on iTunes. Thank you for listening.