Today, the 2012 Index of Economic Freedom launches. For 17 years, The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal have reported on the status of economic freedom around the world, measuring 184 nations across the globe according to rule of law, limited government, regulatory efficiency, and open markets. Globally, the 2012 Index noted a general decline in economic freedom across the board, with nations throughout the world unsuccessfully trying to “spend their way out of recession.” The United States itself dropped from ninth to 10th, continuing a slide that last … More
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Daniel Ortega—sporting pink campaign colors rather than the combative red and black of the Sandinista Front (FSLN) and dressed in a business suit, or guaybera, rather than olive drab fatigues—ushers in a modified and somewhat softer era of tyranny as he begins a second consecutive and unconstitutional term as president of Nicaragua. While the revolutionary, combative fervor of the Marxist-Leninist FSLN has largely gone the way of the Cold War, it has been replaced with a cynical, pseudo-democratic, and self-perpetuating grip on executive power. On January 10, as Ortega again … More
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In an infamous and vulgar U.N. speech delivered in September 2006, Venezuela’s populist authoritarian President Hugo Chavez likened President George W. Bush to “the devil.” On December 20, Chavez lashed out at President Barack Obama after the U.S. President opined on the worsening situation in Venezuela. “Mr. Obama decided to attack us,” Chavez cried. “Now you want to win votes by attacking Venezuela. Don’t be irresponsible. You are a clown, a clown. Leave us in peace.” Chavez added that he considered President Obama to be an “embarrassment.” Chavez’s outburst followed … More
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There has been a lot of discussion recently of Iranian involvement in Latin America, especially with the recent plot involving an assassination attempt against the Saudi ambassador to the United States. Of course, a lot of people are going to Latin America these days: the Russians, the Chinese— and even the Europeans. That’s because the region is abundant in natural resources, especially energy, and it offers the potential of emerging markets. Unfortunately, Iran is looking to make a less-than-friendly mark in Latin America, especially for the United States. Tehran has … More
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In this week’s Heritage in Focus, expert Ray Walser discusses the increasingly anti-U.S. policies in Latin America. PODCAST: Terrorism in Latin America Threatens U.S. In the past decade, Iran has increased its influence in Latin America. Considering Iran’s long history of bad actions, this increased activity in the Western Hemisphere should give Americans pause. This year alone, Iran refused to abandon its nuclear ambitions, its military sat idly by as Iranian students stormed a British embassy, it attempted to assassinate a Saudi ambassador in Washington, D.C., and now is aggressively expanding its … More
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An attack on the British embassy in Tehran. A desperate pursuit of nuclear weapons. A plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington. Alone, any one of these actions by Iran’s regime would be cause for alarm, but taken together they make it undeniably clear that the Iranian threat cannot be ignored. Now, there is news of another effort by Iran to take aim at the United States, this time coming from Latin America. Heritage’s Israel Ortega and James Phillips explain: Iran is conducting anti-U.S. operations from Latin America, including … More
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Iran is conducting anti-U.S. operations from Latin America, including military training camps in Venezuela, and expanding its reach across the border from the U.S. in Mexico, according to footage unveiled late Thursday by the largest Spanish-language network in the United States, Univision. The documentary showed a former Iran senior official accepting a plan to launch from Mexico a cyber war on the United States, one that would cripple U.S. computer systems, including the White House, the FBI, the CIA and several nuclear plants. The official, former Iranian Ambassador to Mexico … More
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Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez will host what is billed as the founding conference of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) December 2–3 on the grounds of Venezuela’s largest military base. The ailing Chavez, whose very public battle with an undisclosed form of cancer has given rise to a mountain of speculation about his survival and whose reelection in October 2012 remains in doubt, hopes to demonstrate he will dominate the Latin American scene for months and years to come. In the run-up to the gathering, Chavez is billing … More
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