Trump Needs a Geopolitical Victory Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (02 Feb. 2019) — United States President Donald Trump is desperate for a win on the global stage. So far, by all measures, he is a big loser. His chaotic foreign policy, his administration’s lack of any semblance of a geopolitical strategy, has so far been anything but coherent. If we can be so generous as to ascribe a foreign policy framework or an executable strategy to his administration’s conduct of foreign affairs then...
What’s next for Venezuela – Trump v. Putin in the Americas Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (27 Dec. 2018) — The Trump administration’s relentless economic and political pressure on Venezuela government over the past two years is rattling Nicolás Maduro’s regime. Despite his braggadocio – putting on a brave face – Maduro is feeling the pressure. He is extremely worried that Trump will take or engineer some form of military action to remove him from power. Trump’s bellicose...
Trump’s Preference for Use of Military Intervention Subverts Diplomacy and Threatens Venezuela Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (08 July 2018) — The recent baring of a not so unexpected truth by media sources that the U.S. president gave serious thought in August 2017 to invading Venezuela early in his presidency is further confirmation that President Donald Trump’s foreign policy is defined more by the reckless use of U.S. military power rather than utilizing diplomacy to resolve...
Setting the Stage for U.S. Geostrategic Agenda Ambassador Curtis A. Ward United States president Donald Trump faces a plethora of geopolitical and geosecurity issues with a new and untested foreign policy team – Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser, Ambassador John Bolton. Both share common cause with President Trump on limiting the use of diplomacy in settling world affairs. They project the use of military power as a means to advance U.S. interests abroad. It is...
Venezuela Exposes the Weaknesses of Regional and International Organizations Ambassador Curtis A. Ward I firmly defend collective action by intergovernmental organizations acting responsibly to resolve intractable problems which have proven to be beyond the scope of domestic institutions within the affected state. I do not grade these organizations by their successes or failures, but on whether they have the political will and the moral authority to make a good faith effort to bring about a...
Cuba and Venezuela in Trump’s Cross-Hairs Ambassador Curtis A. Ward Characterizing Cuba and Venezuela as “communist and socialist dictatorships,” against which sanctions have been imposed, in his State of the Union address 30 January 2018 should come as no surprise to anyone tracking President Donald Trump’s prior statements and actions towards these two countries. President Trump’s targeting of Cuba and Venezuela carries out promises he made repeatedly to supporters during his...
Tillerson’s Jamaica visit will divide CARICOM, Unless… Ambassador Curtis A. Ward While Secretary Rex Tillerson’s scheduled visit to Jamaica has been received with some level of scepticism, any visit by a U.S. Secretary of State to Jamaica should be welcome news. Ordinarily, such visits are expressions of good working relationships, and often used to strengthen ties even further. On the other hand, there are also visits by U.S. Secretaries of State which are triggered by disagreements on...
Hemispheric Issues under the Radar as Global Tensions Rise Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (14 Oct. 2017) -– Rising tensions over the past several weeks between the United States and two foreign adversaries – North Korea and Iran have focused our attention globally while we pay scant attention to issues in the Western Hemisphere. Important developments in the hemisphere between the United States and the countries of Cuba and Venezuela should be watched carefully by the governments and people of...
Remittances Are Not Faceless, Mr. Trump! Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (30 April 2017) — On March 30, 2017, Congressman Mike Rogers (R-AL) introduced H.R. 1813, the Border Wall Funding Act of 2017, which, if enacted by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Donald Trump, would impose a 2% fee on all remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Mr. Rogers’ Bill was co-sponsored by eight of his Republican colleagues. The Bill was referred to the relevant House Committees for...
