But not 'Palestine'?
Four Dutch NGO's - including the local branch of Oxfam - are
laying off significant portions of their staff. But note where their activities are being cut back: In countries like Sudan and Rwanda where such activities are critical. Note where they're not being cut back: In 'Palestine' or 'Palestinian territories' where they're more political advocacy than humanitarian (Hat Tip:
Mike P).
Minister Lilianne Ploumen of Foreign Trade and Development
Cooperation announced the cuts earlier this year. From January 1st 2016
the development aid organizations will be losing more than 80 percent of
their government subsidy, going from about 50 million euros per year to
between 7 and 15 million euros per year.
The Minister wants to limit subsidies to initiatives that helps
people in third world countries defend their rights – something she
calls “lobbying and advocacy”. She therefore largely stopped the subsidy
for normal development, such as helping small farmers in Africa break
into the local market. She called the cuts “painful”. But according to
Ploumen, the world has changed and the importance of official
development funds for the development of a country is decreasing. “It is
also no longer the only funding stream”, she said when she presented
the new policy, according to the Volkskrant. “Businesses now contribute
in many ways. The concept of development aid will eventually disappear.”
This translates into layoffs for the four large development aid
organizations. Hivos will be laying off 50 of its 145 employees at the
Dutch office, Oxfam Novib will be laying off about 75 of its 325,
Cordaid 69 of its 250 and Icco will lose 175 of its 350 employees. The
organizations will also stop funding to projects all over the world next
year. Hivos will be withdrawing support from, among others, a project
to stop female genital mutilation in Iraqi Kurdistan – a project that is
internationally regarded as successful. Icco is withdrawing from South
Africa, Colombia, Peru and Brazil. Oxfam Novib is stopping all
initiatives in Bangladesh, Rwanda, Sudan and Zimbabwe.
According to the four development aid organizations, focusing only on
lobbying and advocacy is a risky strategy. “You only have legitimacy to
lobby and advocate for something if you’re already active in the
place”, Marinus Verweij, director of Icco, said to the Volkskrant.
“Otherwise it is not credible.”
Priorities, man, priorities!
Labels: Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, humanitarian aid, Iraqi Kurds, NGO funding, NGO's, Oxfam, Peru, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Zimbabwe
Great news: Iranian influence in Latin America 'growing'
It's been nearly six years since the picture above was taken, and Adam Kredo reports that
it's only gotten worse.
Iran’s growing influence in the region—and its effort to exert
influence over governments there—has fostered pressing security concerns
as the Iranians inch closer to the United States’ southern border,
according to these U.S. officials and Latin American leaders, who met
for several days this week at a summit organized by the Israel Allies
Foundation (IAF).
“It is troubling in some of the briefings we get, particularly on the
classified side, to see Iranian influence in Latin America,” Rep. Ron
DeSantis (R., Fla.), a member of the House Committee of Foreign Affairs,
told the Washington Free Beacon in an interview. “A lot of these [Latin American officials] share the concern.”
“It’s a security risk for all of us,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis was one of several members of Congress and 20 Latin American
lawmakers from 14 different countries who met during the IAF summit,
which began on Sunday and ran until Tuesday morning.
Iran is becoming increasingly open about its presence in Latin
America and providing its officials with passports from Venezuela and
other countries, giving them free rein to travel throughout South
America.
Iran has forged close ties with countries such as Argentina, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Bolivia, among others.
Luis Heber, a member of the Uruguayan senate, said that Iranian
agents—who some suspect are members of the country’s Revolutionary Guard
Corps (IRGC)—have been spotted in his country holding Venezuelan
passports.
Officials have determined that there is “a clear penetration of Iran
in our country,” Heber said during remarks Sunday before U.S. lawmakers
and other Latin American officials.
“We’ve also seen Venezuelan passports in the hands of Iranians,” he
revealed. “The penetration of Venezuela by Iran is clear. There is
overwhelming information on this.”
...
“The threat level has increased, it’s more open,” said Rep. Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen (R., Fla.), vice-chair of the House’s Subcommittee on the
Western Hemisphere.
“The Iranian threat comes not from espionage as much, but from
influencing the ideology of their host country,” Ros-Lehtinen said.
“That’s what they’re aiming for and penetrating [these countries] so
they have a presence in Latin America right at the foothold of the U.S.”
Iran establishes consulates in these countries and then uses them as a
base to conduct espionage and other covert activities, Ros-Lehtinen
said.
“How is it they have Iranian consulates in Latin America?” she asked.
“It’s ridiculous to think all of sudden Latin Americans want to travel
to Iran. They’re not using it to issue their visas. Something is
happening that Iran is penetrating the Western Hemisphere and it’s not
for cultural exchanges or approval of travel docs.”
“This makes no sense … other than espionage, subterfuge, and illicit activities,” Ros-Lehtinen said.
This activity has intensified of late, several officials said.
This is what happens when the World's only superpower decides it doesn't want to be a superpower anymore.
Shabbat Shalom everyone.
Labels: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Iran, Iranian nuclear threat, Latin America, Peru, Venezuela
Colombia buying $50 million of UAV's from Israel
Colombia has been identified as the 'mystery buyer' of
$50 million in Hermes 900 unmanned aerial vehicles manufactured by Israeli defense contractor Elbit Ltd.
Elbit had stated in a press release earlier this month that the UAVs were sold to an unidentified Latin America country. Several defense publications in the United States later pointed to Colombia, which sources said is interested in using the systems against rebels. Colombia previously has accused Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez of backing anti-government forces.
The Israeli-based Elbit is hoping the sale to Colombia will open up other markets in Latin America following its first export of the Hermes 900 to the Chilean air force last July.
Elbit sold its Hermes 900 tactical UAV, an advanced vehicle that can be deployed in difficult atmospheric conditions, fly as high as 33,000 feet and transmit images to a ground control station.
It also can take off and land automatically.
My guess is that it will likely be used against drug cartels and to defend Colombia's borders as well. This sounds like a win-win for both sides.
Labels: Colombia, Elbit Systems, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Can Latin America be saved
Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister, Danny Ayalon, is headed for
Latin America on Wednesday to try to convince countries there to vote against the unilateral recognition of 'Palestinian statehood' in the UN General Assembly in September.
Ayalon will travel to Mexico City on Wednesday, for meetings there, followed by a trip to El Salvador where he will attend a meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS). Israel has observer status in the OAS.
"We have realized that we can make a counter campaign," Ayalon said Tuesday. "We must conduct a counter campaign to the Palestinians, even though they have a comparative advantage in the General Assembly. We are not going to give up."
Mexico did not follow Brazil's lead late last year and recognize a Palestinian state, and its position on the matter is considered very influential with a number of Central American states that have not yet recognized a Palestinian state. Among these are El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama.
The wave of recognition of a Palestinian state that began with Brazil last year swept South America, with the exception of Colombia, but did not wash over Central America or the Caribbean states, who are also members of the OAS.
Colombia, Israel's closest ally in South America, is currently a member of the UN Security Council, and in various assessments being made in Jerusalem could very well vote with the US against a Palestinian state resolution in the Security Council.
While it is widely expected that the US would veto any such resolution in the Security Council, Washington is keen on not being isolated on the matter and is interested in getting other countries on the council to vote with it – thereby preventing it from having to use its veto.
Ayalon should at least be going to Honduras and Colombia. I'd even consider a trip to Argentina. Even though they have come out in favor of recognizing the 'Palestinian' reichlet, they are also familiar with the scourge of terrorism.
Labels: Argentina, Colombia, Danny Ayalon, El Salvador, Honduras, Latin America, OAS, unilateral declaration of statehood, United Nations General Assembly, United Nations Security Council
Tel Aviv - Bogota nonstop?
Israel and Colombia have signed an 'open skies' agreement allowing non-stop flights between
Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport and Bogota.
Israel and Colombia will benefit from the agreement since it will allow flexibility and easy transport of passengers between the two countries.
Colombia has close diplomatic ties with both Israel and the United States. Israel is a prime exporter of weaponry to Columbia and the two countries cooperate in the fields of security and technology.
Several weeks ago Colombia announced that it will not join the parade of Latin American nations that have recently recognized the Palestinian Authority as a sovereign country.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos Calderon told the World Jewish Congress on that as a “matter of principle” his government would not recognize any unilateral declaration of statehood by the PA.
Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos Calderon visited Israel in the summer of 2009, where he met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman, President Shimon Peres, and other government officials.
The governments of Israel and Colombia must ratify the Open Skies agreement before it goes into effect.
At least we have one friend in Latin America (will they vote with us in the UN?). It's a bit far, but maybe Israelis could be persuaded to trade Anatalya (Turkey) for Cartegena (Colombia) and give our tourist dollars to a friend rather than an enemy.
Labels: Bogota, Colombia, El Al, open skies agreement, Tel Aviv
Obama's 'smart diplomacy' allows Hezbullah's South American operations to escape
One of the countries that the Obama administration has abandoned as part of its 'smart diplomacy' is Colombia. Now, there is a price to be paid.
In a joint operation with the US Drug Enforcement Agency, Colombia has arrested Walid Makled, one of the three top drug dealers in the World. Makled is a Syrian-born Venezuelan citizen, who claims to have a treasure trove of information on Hezbullah operations in Venezuela. Makled is in a position to know. He is believed to have paid more than $1,000,000 per month in bribes to Venezuelan generals and ministers to protect his drug business.
Makled will only give the information he has about Hezbullah to the United States. But he is being extradited to Venezuela and not to the United States as he wished. Colombia is afraid of Venezuela. Colombia is also afraid that
Washington will abandon it.
In the many interviews Makled has given from his prison in Colombia, he says he has videotapes and other evidence documenting his transactions with Venezuelan generals and senior government officials, provincial governors, members of Venezuelan Congress, cabinet secretaries. He describes making payments of about $1 million a month to Venezuelan high-ranking civilian and military officials. "If I am a drug trafficker, everyone in the Chavez government is drug trafficker," Makled has said.
Further, Makled claims to have information on Chavez's help to Hezbollah and other Middle Eastern terrorist groups operating in the Venezuelan soil. Makled stated in an interview that Hezbollah is "absolutely" active in Venezuela. He also has information on the flights between Venezuela and Teheran -- a serious source of concern for the US.
As the Washington Post puts it: "The Obama administration is about to lose an extraordinary opportunity to prosecute one of the world's biggest drug traffickers. It will fail to break up a network that annually smuggles hundreds of tons of cocaine to the United States. And it will miss delivering a devastating blow to the most dedicated U.S. adversary in Latin America, Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez."
And all because of the wimp in Washington.
What could go wrong?
Labels: Barack Obama, Colombia, drug cartels, Hezbullah, Hugo Chavez, Venezuela, Walid Makled
