ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Travelers who keep an eye on U.S. State Department warnings may know by now that the department has issued cautions for the Mexican states of Quintana Roo and Baja California Sur. The addition of those states to the government's periodic updates of travel dangers caused a significant stir, largely because they are the homes to two of Mexico's most popular resorts: Cancun and Cabo San Lucas. It is not surprising that these states were included in the warning, which was issued Aug. 22.  As Mexico's powerful drug cartels have splintered , a spiral of crime and violence has enveloped all parts of the country, to include its storied resorts. However, I believe that by understanding what drives the violence, and the types of the incidents that result, companies operating in Mexico and travelers to the country can avoid most of it. Cartel Balkanization and the Spread of Violence For well more than a decade, Stratfor has kept an eye on Mexico's powerful drug-traffi...

© AFP 2017/ KIM JAE-HWAN US President Donald Trump has found a way to thrive on tensions with North Korea. The US president claimed on Tuesday that the US would allow South Korea and Japan to buy more “highly sophisticated” US military equipment in response to the so-called North Korea threat.  Follow Donald J. Trump   ✔ @realDonaldTrump I am allowing Japan & South Korea to buy a substantially increased amount of highly sophisticated military equipment from the United States. 14:36 - 5 Sep 2017   18,954 18,954 Replies     30,341 30,341 Retweets     111,338 111,338 likes Twitter Ads information and privacy Trump did not reveal what kind of equipment he had in mind. However, the White House said the president was willing to approve the sale of “many billions of dollars’ worth of military weapons and equipment” to South Korea. Trump’s statement followed North Korea’s six nucl...

Written by  The Saker ; Originally appeared at  his blog It is difficult to talk to people who confuse Austria and Australia. But there is nothing we can do about this; this is the level of political culture among part of the American establishment. As for the American people, America is truly a great nation if the Americans can put up with so many politically uncivilised people. Vladimir Putin Wow.  Even though I have just written a commentary on the level of frustration and, frankly, contempt, the Russians are feeling towards their American counterparts, these words by Vladimir Putin are truly a slap in the face that will resonate around the world for a long time to come even if the imperial corporate media makes another herculean effort at not noticing them.   I can only repeated what I said in my previous article, I have never ever heard anything even remotely resembling the kind of language coming out of Russia today. By the way, Putin confirm...

Iranian air defense missiles (Photo: AFP) Iran has closed its airspace for US and Saudi Arabia as well as for other countries that have attacked Yemen, the Iranian FARS News agency reported citing Commander of Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier Gen Farzad Esmayeeli. “After the cruelties against Yemen and given the fact that the military system of a country is not separate from its government and trade system, therefore, we cannot show double-standard behavior towards the world and for instance, when we say that the US is a world arrogant power, therefore,  we don’t allow the US aircraft, even passenger planes, to fly over the Islamic Republic of Iran because we are against its government’s policies ,” FARS News quoted Gen Esmayeeli as saying on Tuesday. According to FARS News, the decision will also impact other countries which have attacked Yemen, including Saudi Arabia.