In Geopolitics Today - Wednesday, May 18th
Boycotts Threaten to Undermine the Summit of the Americas, US Preparing to Ease Economic Sanctions on Venezuela, Naval Shipbuilding Trend Point to More Multirole Vessels
Boycotts Threaten to Undermine the Summit of the Americas
An upcoming Pan-American political summit led by the United States is facing boycotts over Washington's refusal to invite Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The Summit of the Americas is held every three years, and was founded under the stated aim of fostering closer cooperation between the countries in North and South America on shared political and economic issues. Over the years the platform has also served to boost US diplomatic and business interests in Latin American countries.
Yet the next edition of the Summit, which is scheduled to take place next month in Los Angeles, is being accused by some participants of excluding countries in the region based on their political alignment. Last week, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared he will boycott this year’s summit if Washington does not invite the leaders of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Similarly, the presidents of Bolivia and Honduras have echoed Obrador's threat of a boycott over the exclusion of these countries. At the same time, several Caribbean leaders have floated the idea of a joint boycott by all members of CARICOM if the list of regional invitees is not amended.
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US Preparing to Ease Economic Sanctions on Venezuela
The United States is reportedly moving to ease economic sanctions on Venezuela. Anonymous US officials have briefed the press on what appears to be shift in US policy toward Venezuela as they expressed an eagerness to see a resumption in negotiations between the government of President Nicolás and the US-backed opposition. While no official announcement has yet been made, reports indicate that Washington has adjusted its sanctions to allow US-based Chevron Corp to negotiate a drilling license with the Venezuelan state-owned oil company — Petroleos de Venezuela.
For the past five years, the US has used near-total financial and political sanctions, as well as support for clandestine militia groups, in what has thus far been an unsuccessful campaign to oust the Venezuelan government. Change from this policy was first signalled in March, when US officials travelled to Caracas in order to meet with Maduro after Russia invaded Ukraine. Since the meeting, discussions between the Maduro government and his political opponents appear to have intensified as US officials have slowly softened their language and limited their aims in Venezuela. Now senior US officials have stated a willingness to revoke sanctions based on outcomes achieved with the Maduro government at the negotiating table — a clear departure from seeking the outright removal of Venezuela's government.
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Naval Shipbuilding Trend Point to More Multirole Vessels
Rising inter-state tensions, a growing likelihood of territorial expansion, and increasing threats to states by non-state actors, are all factors fuelling an expansion in naval deployments. As maritime trade routes continue to play a major role in economic development, maritime threats are compelling many militaries to bolster their naval capabilities. With vessels facing obsolescence and new, advanced naval assets are deployed to counter rival fleet expansions, shipbuilding industries are set to grow in the coming years.
Naval warfare is increasingly expected to involve a multi-domain battlespace, with naval vessels of the future integrating capabilities effective in the air, maritime, and land domains. Naval warfare doctrine for many states now acknowledge a transition from mission-specific naval platforms designed primarily for a singular role, toward fielding maritime assets which possess multirole functionality. The growing need for multirole naval vessels is likely to affect the surface and subsurface vessel procurement programs for all major navies. As such, naval ship designers will look to incorporate network-centric approaches in their designs which provide naval assets with complete awareness and control of the battlespace. These trends point toward an increase in the production by all major navies of smaller vessels equipped with more sophisticated electronics and sensors in the coming years.
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