Last week, eight U.S. lawmakers called for cuts to the planned U.S. security assistance package to Colombia for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 in response to continuing reports of human rights violations, violence and impunity in the country.
Argentina, a country not commonly associated with the “drug war” in the same way as countries like Mexico or Colombia, is increasingly experiencing violence and corruption linked to drug trafficking.
With the recent military takeover in Burkina Faso, there is increasing attention on U.S. security assistance to the key U.S. counterterrorism ally. According to the Washington Post, soon after mass protests led to former president Blaise Comparore’s resignation, the country’s military suspended the constitution and staged what appears to be a military coup.
This week, Egypt faces renewed criticism over its human rights record after the release of the United Nations Human Rights Council’s assessment of human rights in Egypt since 2011. Tens of thousands of protesters marched in Mexico city to push the government for a more forceful response to the case of 43 university students who have been missing for over a month. After a military takeover in Burkina Faso, the African Union is threatening to implement sanctions. Georgia’s Prime Minister dismissed the Minister of Defense after he commented on the arrest of several of his colleagues at the Ministry of Defense.
If Congress approves H.R. 5648, Jordan would become the third largest recipient of U.S. military assistance to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) per year behind only Israel and Egypt. The bill’s proposed privileged status for U.S. arms sales also puts Jordan in an elite group of close U.S. defense and security partners that only NATO members and few others enjoy.
Military Exercises in Latin America: September and October