AMERICAS EDITION
30 January 2012

1. United States: "New Plan: NGJ To Go Unmanned"
2. United States: "USAF Plans To Terminate Block 30 Global Hawks"
3. Mexico: "Mexican legislator says bugging equipment found in offices of some lawmakers, key committees"
4. Cuba: "Cuba Publishes Agreements of PCC Conference" & "Cuban Communist Party Discusses Future" & "Castro firms plans to limit Cuba terms, even his"
5. Haiti: "Duvalier faces trial for corruption, not abuses"
6. Colombia: "17 FARC Cocaine Labs Destroyed in Southeastern Colombia"
7. Venezuela / Mexico: "Mexican ambassador briefly held hostage in Venezuela" & "Mexican envoy kidnapped, freed in Venezuela"
8. Venezuela: "Venezuela leaving World Bank's arbitration body"

United States: "New Plan: NGJ To Go Unmanned"

Aviation Week, 25 January 2012

Reports suggest that future plans to equip a variant of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as successor to the US Navy's highly-capable EA-18 Growler electronic warfare aircraft have been shelved in favour of using unmanned aerial vehicles.  The US Navy's Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) program, which is seeking to develop the successor to the EA-18 and the EA-6B Prowler, is now focusing on developing an unmanned vehicle to carry out the electronic warfare roles of jamming and disrupting enemy air defence systems, while the manned fighters will be purposed for 'kinetic' attack missions that exploit their stealth profile.  The EA-18 will remain in service while the new capability is developed, and will eventually be equipped with NGJ pods, which will be designed to be transferred between aircraft platforms.  It is suggested that while these may eventually be integrated with the F-35, the development focus will be on the unmanned capability, leaving the F-35 designers to concentrate on that plane's primary attack roles.  While budgetary constraints have contributed to these decisions, other, more practical forces are also at work: the evolving sophistication of air-defence-systems has increased the risk of sending manned Electronic Warfare (EW) platforms into danger areas, while the drive to increase the stealth capability of EW craft means smaller, more low-profile vehicles are needed.

United States: "USAF Plans To Terminate Block 30 Global Hawks"

Defense News, 26 January 2012

The United States Air Force is planning to end the Block 30 Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance drone in favour of putting more resources into the venerable U-2 spy plane.  Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said that orders of the Block 30 variant would be cancelled, and in-service aircraft would be retired; sources suggest that underwhelming performance and a high price-tag demonstrated that the unmanned craft was not yet ready to replace the capabilities of the U-2, which entered service in 1955, and has been regularly updated with new sensor equipment.  Earlier statements from the Department of Defense suggested that the Global Hawk program costs were projected to exceed those associated with maintaining the USAF's 33 U-2 aircraft, which remain highly capable of carrying out long-range reconnaissance missions.  Northrop Grumman reported that the decision to cut the Block 30 would not affect the other variants of the Global Hawk, which include the Block 40, equipped with the Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) radar, and the MQ-4, the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) model built for the US Navy.

Mexico: "Mexican legislator says bugging equipment found in offices of some lawmakers, key committees"

Washington Post, 25 January 2012

Mexican security personnel reportedly uncovered recording equipment installed in government offices belonging to top legislators and personnel serving on key committees. Officials said that the microphones and other listening devices found appeared to have been in place for several years and an investigation into the case has been launched by federal prosecutors. While details surrounding those allegedly being spied on and those behind the espionage were not released, the discovery has sparked accusations by members of the opposition who have blamed President Felipe Calderon and his National Action Party. In the past, Mexico’s main intelligence agency, the Center for National Security and Investigation, was accused of spying on political opponents during the 71-year rule of the Institutional Revolutionary Party. While the agency was directed to cease its internal political monitoring in 2000 when the PRI was voted out of office, Calderon hired a private company in 2008 to monitor the activities of legislators. The Calderon government maintains that it is simply collecting public information. Analysts note that some of the information has been used to expose corruption and links to Mexico’s drug trade within the government .

Cuba: "Cuba Publishes Agreements of PCC Conference" & "Cuban Communist Party Discusses Future" & "Castro firms plans to limit Cuba terms, even his"

Prensa Latina, 30 January 2012 & Latin American Herald Tribune, 28 January 2012 & AFP, 29 January 2012

The Communist Party of Cuba held its first ever National Conference over the weekend, where President Raul Castro led over 800 delegates in discussions about the modernization of the party's procedures, as well as the economic and political direction of the nation. The participants expressed their continued support for a one-party political system, described as "democratic centralism." According to Castro, this is the only way to protect Cuban sovereignty, considering the pressure coming from countries like the US. Castro also announced that the party would implement a policy limiting political terms to ten years, including the presidency, in order to foster a new, younger generation of communist leaders. Delegates at the conference also discussed further steps for the country's limited transformation toward a private economy. Changes over the past year have legalized the creation of small private businesses, and allowed homes and vehicles to be bought and sold. President Castro is hoping the transformation to this "new socialist model" will pull the country out of a decades-long economic crisis. The party is facing increasing pressure from Cubans to increase the rate of change and address the everyday practical problems faced by the population.

Haiti: "Duvalier faces trial for corruption, not abuses"

Reuters, 30 January 2012

Former Haitian dictator Jean Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier will be put on trial for offences related to corruption, but will not be charged in connection with the human rights abuses that occurred during his 15 years in power. Duvalier stands accused of embezzling between USD $300 million and $800 million from the impoverished country, some of which is said to be held in a Swiss bank account, which authorities are now working to return to the Haitian government. Thousands of people were killed, tortured, or disappeared during the Duvalier "dynasty," though reports indicate that due to the country's constitutional statute of limitations, these abuses will not be included in the charges to be brought against Duvalier. Duvalier, who inherited the presidency in 1971 following the death of his father, Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, ruled until he was overthrown in 1986. He fled to France following his ousting in 1986, though returned to Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake in an apparent bid to reenter politics, and was arrested soon after. There was concern that support for Duvalier within senior political circles - including President Michel Martelly - and the courts may lead to all charges being dropped, which could allow the former president to make a political comeback.   UN officials and rights groups have urged Haiti to put Duvalier and senior officials on trial for atrocities committed under his rule, saying that under international law, the statute of limitations does not apply to crimes against humanity.

Colombia: "17 FARC Cocaine Labs Destroyed in Southeastern Colombia"

Latin American Herald Tribune, 25 January 2012

Authorities destroyed 17 cocaine labs last week in a raid targeting the drug trafficking infrastructure of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in the southeastern department of Guaviare. The raids, supported by two aircraft and 22 boats, also led to the seizure of 692 kilograms of coca paste and 13 tons of other chemicals and materials used to produce cocaine. While Colombia has continued to deal blows against the FARC's leadership and ability to operate since the US-funded offensive began a decade ago, the group has changed its tactics by fighting in smaller, more elusive units and President Juan Manuel Santos is facing increased pressure from Colombians to seek an end to a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions over the decades.

Venezuela / Mexico: "Mexican ambassador briefly held hostage in Venezuela" & "Mexican envoy kidnapped, freed in Venezuela"

Miami Herald, 30 January 2012 & Ottawa Citizen, 30 January 2012

The Mexican ambassador to Venezuela was kidnapped by gunmen in Caracas on Sunday night, but was released unharmed early Monday morning. Ambassador Carlos Pujalte is the second diplomat to be held hostage in Venezuela recently; a Chilean consulate official was kidnapped and beaten in November 2011, escaping with a gunshot wound to his leg. Kidnappings are a rising problem in Venezuela, where criminal gangs frequently use them as a fundraising method. Crime and murder rates are also rising; reports show that the murder rate has doubled in the past ten years. According to a United Nations study, Venezuela has the highest murder rate in South America. Despite oil revenues that have enriched some sectors of society, there is still widespread poverty in the country, which is recognized as a contributing factor to crime levels. President Hugo Chavez claims that Venezuela has become safer in the last 30 years, though he announced on Sunday that he will increase policing across the country.

Venezuela: "Venezuela leaving World Bank's arbitration body"

Associated Press, 26 January 2012

Venezuela has initiated its withdrawal from the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), the World Bank's forum for international investment disputes. The move is seen by many observers as one that could further undermine foreign investors' already-low confidence in the South American nation. President Hugo Chavez, whose government has seized an estimated 2,300 properties, companies and other assets since 2002, justified the decision by saying that disagreements with foreign companies operating in Venezuela should be settled with local authorities and within its judicial system. Chavez's decision follows the example of  his counterparts in the leftist governments of Ecuador and Bolivia, who pulled their countries out of the ICSID over the last few years. While Venezuela has 18 pending cases in the ICSID, its withdrawal from the forum will reportedly not affect those cases waiting arbitration. Analysts note however, that refusing potential investors access to some form of arbitration in future agreements could have an adverse effect on Venezuela's efforts to raise the financing needed to develop the country's heavy crude Orinoco region and reverse years of declining oil production.