The Americas

The case of Ecuador has shown that language can be a political tool for contributing to the unification of a diverse country. The inclusion of all of the languages in the Ecuadorian Constitution plays an important political role.

Amid a host of promises including a declaration to re-join the Paris Climate Agreement, the Biden administration announced in early January that it would seek an extension to the treaty, and on the 26th Biden and Putin agreed via a telephone conversation to a five-year extension.

The situation in Venezuela has been deteriorating, marked by economic collapse, violence and food shortages, and the country is currently serving as a proxy for international divisions, amidst a backdrop of civil unrest and political tensions.

Despite the destruction left behind on The Bahamas, predominantly on Abaco and Grand Bahama islands, Hurricane Dorian provided a stark example of how Armed Forces from the Caribbean, and larger regional and global powers, can come together to provide initial relief and helped set the stage for civilian organizations to follow on and provide long-term humanitarian aid.

Whilst not an easy task, the potential establishment of a US national space forces serves as a cautionary reminder that space is no longer the unknown, but a tangible domain for human exploration and exploitation.

Rather than simply being name changes, the appointments of Mike Pompeo, John Bolton and Gina Haspel may signal the beginnings of a shift in White House foreign policy stance.

With the 2020 Democratic primary field looking to be incredibly large, there are a whole host of potential stances that candidates could take. Furthermore, the unpredictability of Trump means that the Democrats could be forced to shift onto new ground.

From his gung-ho use of Twitter through to his policy proposals that have aimed to radically change the scope of US and world affairs, it is clear that Trump has set about doing things in his own way without regard for criticism, difficulties or consequences.

RealClear Defense has published HSC senior fellow Rowan Allport's call for the US to adopt a Aegis-based homeland missile defence system as part of its strategy for defeating the threat from cruise and ballistic missiles.

That there is a need to rebuild the US Navy is disputed by few in the mainstream. Initially at least, readiness needs to be prioritised by beginning to clear the many years of deferred maintenance that have undermined the fleet. But in the longer run, building up both numbers and capabilities matter.