Lo mismo, intervención del General Douglas M. Fraser, Jefe del SOUTHCOM (responsabilidad de Latinoamérica y Caribe) ante el Comité del Senado de las Fuerzas Armadas. Me centro en la penetración china, y además la intervención iraní y rusa en la zona:
Competitive Marketplace: Because of globalization and its inherent empowerment of new actors, the U.S. can no longer take for granted that our way of life is the sole ideology of choice in this region. We must now actively compete to ensure our message is accurately transmitted and received by the appropriate audience. Populism, socialism and democracy are all now prevalent ideas within the region. Money, trade, and other interaction from expanding players like China, Russia and Iran exist in Latin America and the Caribbean. We are also beginning to see a renewed polarization in the region. All of these factors combine to form a competitive marketplace of ideas, within which non-traditional actors have become very adept at operating.
To compete in this venue, we engage proactively and counter anti-U.S. messaging with persistent demonstrations of our goodwill, competence and professionalism. We convey the strength of our ideas in both words and deeds by training and working with our regional partners to improve security, provide humanitarian assistance, and respond to disasters. We remain engaged in this marketplace through dialogue and open discussion with partners within the region as well as players external to our AOR.
China‟s evolving relationship with Latin America through a growing number of linkages and longer-term investments is impacting the strategic landscape in the region and further emphasizes the interconnectedness of the 21st Century. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), total bilateral trade between China (excluding Hong Kong) and Latin America has risen from $39.3 billion in 2004 to almost $147 billion in 2008. China is already the second
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largest user of the Panama Canal. The rapid growth of China‟s trade with Latin America and the Caribbean shows the likelihood China could become an enduring part of the economic landscape of the Americas.
We have also noticed a marked increase in military-to-military and technology-based relations between China, Russia, Iran and the region. China is conducting more military training and educational exchanges, entering into a larger number of technology transfers agreements, and selling sophisticated defensive military items such as air surveillance radars and military aircraft. China is also finding new areas for cooperation in the commercial space sector as seen in the China-Brazil Earth Research Satellite (CBERS) program. Russia has followed suit, with arms sales and a naval tour of the Caribbean. Russia has publicly stated that improving relations with Latin America is a top priority, focused primarily on Cuba and then Venezuela. They have also increased their outreach to other countries in the region as evidenced by signing a military and scientific bilateral agreement with Peru, offering increased support to Bolivia‟s counter-narcotics operations, and seeking a Free Trade Agreement with Chile.
Iran, too, is strengthening its ties to the region, focusing primarily on Venezuela, while developing relationships with other nations, as evidenced by opening 11 new embassies with a 12th expected to open in the Caribbean later this year. Iran‟s trade activities have thus far focused on infrastructure development, medical exchanges, agriculture, mining and the oil industry. Finally, a Trade Memoranda of Understanding between Iran, Cuba and Venezuela since 2005 has now surpassed $7 billion.
As we face this complex, dynamic and continually evolving security environment at Southern Command, we are constantly reminded that achieving our desired end state of secure stable, democratic and prosperous states throughout the Americas requires a wide variety of tool
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sets beyond pure military activity. We continue to look for creative ways to approach partnerships throughout the region. We seek innovative ways to organize, plan, train and operate; to adapt new technology to ever-changing challenges; and to communicate, including how we describe and frame our challenges both with our partners and with the public in general.
http://www.southcom.mil/AppsSC/files/63 ... 937500.pdf
Nuevamente los datos son una verdadera pasada, por partes, toca China:
-Según el FMI, el comercio entre China y América Latina es de unos $ 147 mil millones de 2008, cifra que se reducía a 39,3 mil millones de dólares en 2004. Es el segundo usuario del Canal de Panamá.
-Más entrenamiento militar e intercambios educativos, mayor transferencia tecnológica y venta de material militar (radares de vigilancia aérea o aviones militares). Programa espacial comercial CBERS
En cuanto a Rusia:
-Prioridad Venezuela y Cuba
-Venta de armas a la zona, maniobras navales en el Caribe.
-Acuerdo científico-militar bilateral con Perú.
-Operaciones antinarcóticos con Bolivia.
-Posible Acuerdo de Libre Comercio con Chile.
Vamos con Irán:
-Prioridad Venezuela.
-Abrirá 12 embajadas en el Caribe, ya 11 están abiertas.
-El Memorándum de Entendimiento entre el Comercio de Irán, Cuba y Venezuela desde el año 2005 ya ha superado los 7 mil millones dólares.
Particularmente me encantan estas palabras:
Debido a la globalización y su autonomía inherente de nuevos actores, los EE.UU. ya no puede dar por sentado que nuestra forma de vida es la única opción ideológica en esta región. Ahora tenemos que competir activamente para asegurar que nuestro mensaje es transmitido con exactitud y recibido por el público apropiado. El populismo, el socialismo y la democracia son las ideas que ahora prevalecen en la región. El dinero, el comercio y la interacción de otros jugadores como China, Rusia e Irán se han expandido en América Latina y el Caribe. También estamos comenzando a ver una nueva polarización en la región. Todos estos factores se combinan para formar un mercado competitivo de ideas, en el que los actores no tradicionales se han puesto en funcionamiento.