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https://news.antiwar.com/2024/02/06/us-to-increase-military-aid-to-guyana-amid-tensions-with-venezuela/

https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/venezuela-deploys-military-to-oil-rich-guyanas-border-06613730

The last piece missing to turn Mexico into an enemy of the US, by Dmitry Bavyrin for VZGLYAD. 05.05.2024.

The results of the elections in Mexico showed that its citizens are delighted with the course of the authorities, which removed the country from the determining influence of the United States. Washington lost Mexico, just as it lost most of Latin America, but it needs something more to cement its debacle.

Mexico's ruling party, to which its current and future presidents belong, is called MoReNa, which can be translated from Spanish as “brunette.” Claudia Sheinbaum, who triumphantly won the presidential election, is precisely a brunette: among the Eastern European Jews who were her ancestors, blondes are rare.

The local Jewish community, Sheinbaum, however, does not consider it “one of its own,” and the Morena party takes an anti-Israeli position, like most leftist parties in Latin America. Its full name is “National Revival Movement,” which is very similar to Trump’s “Make America Great Again,” but otherwise MoReNa and MAGA are antipodean movements. For example, for Trump, the greatness of the United States is good, but for Morena it is bad, which makes the party pleasing to the Russian taste.

The influence of parties in Mexico is of increased importance. The state is a clearly presidential republic with significant powers for the leader, but there is a nuance: everyone is given only one six-year term without the right to re-election, so much depends on the parties in terms of the transfer and continuity of power.

This restriction was adopted after the Mexican Revolution of 1910–1920, which ended the intolerably long reign of dictator Porfirio Díaz, the so-called Porfiriat. The United States had different relations with the Porfiriat at different periods, as well as with the leaders of the Mexican revolution, but the vector remained common: after the wars lost to Washington and the loss of vast territories, the Mexican elites did not get into trouble and maintained general loyalty to their great neighbor, without plotting against him internationally arena.

At the same time, the domestic scene was dominated by moderate leftists - like those European socialists in Germany or France, whom the United States will not contradict and does not encroach on the interests of American companies. Fourteen consecutive presidents represented the National Revolutionary Party, stretching its reign from 1930 to 2000, when a moderate right finally came to power with an even more rigid orientation toward the United States.

The current leader of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, is the founder of Morena, but made his political career in the CHP. In total, he ran for president four times, managed to be the head of Mexico City, and in 2006 he tried to come to power according to the standards of a color revolution (with their money - the “cactus revolution”) with mass protests and demands to recount votes, but it did not work out. Perhaps the reason it didn’t work out was that the authorities in Mexico at that time were more pro-American than candidate Lopez Obrador.

He took revenge 12 years later - and since then, relations between Mexico City and Washington have really gone downhill. Recently there was even a question about a full-fledged war due to different views on the fight against the drug mafia, whose products are mowing down American security forces.

When Washington decided to shift power in Venezuela , López Obrador supported Nicolás Maduro. This was a real riot on the ship: the Venezuelan leader is far from an orange, his fellow presidents on the continent - both left and right - have a very difficult (and often bad) attitude towards him, and Mexico is a country from which Washington traditionally did not expect opposition.

And most importantly (for Russia): the Mexican leader made it clear from the very beginning and very firmly that he would not allow his country to be drawn into the Ukrainian adventure: Mexico City is not involved either in “containing Russia” or in supporting Ukraine. The opposite is also true, but López Obrador blames the conflict primarily on Washington's hegemonic policies.

But it would be a mistake to imagine the Mexican president as we are accustomed to seeing comrades like Castro, Ortega or Chavez. They could talk about world affairs all day long and set the goal of a general socialist revolution for the continent. Unlike all of them, López Obrador seems uninterested in foreign policy. She’s at the bottom of his list of priorities: if you ask, I’ll say what I think, and then I’ll go do important things.

His work includes reducing the state apparatus, building infrastructure, fighting crime, social programs, and redistributing wealth through extensive state participation in education and medicine. He has always been focused on the internal problems of Mexico, has achieved a lot - and this is precisely why the people adore him, and not for his attacks against Washington.

Under Lopez Obrador, the country of a hundred million people gained strength and accumulated fat, but never fully entered the large international arena, except for its traditionally active participation in regional Latin American affairs. But Claudia Sheinbaum will certainly pull it off.

She has been his faithful comrade-in-arms for many years - she was one of the first to follow him from the old party to the new one, was responsible for ecology and transport in his government of the head of Mexico City, and she herself became the mayor of the capital at the same time that Lopez Obrador became president. He turned the city into a showcase of the “new Mexico,” focusing on crime (which had fallen by half), transport infrastructure and air that was unbreathable due to industrial and automobile emissions.

Minus crime (this issue is one of the main ones for the party as a whole), this is the professional profile of the new president, although “profile” in her case is an understatement. The daughter of scientists, Sheinbaum herself is a Doctor of Science and a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences, and the practical scope of her work is transport and energy engineering, subordinated to the idea of ​​reducing harm to what is commonly called “ecology.”

That is, Sheinbaum is not an eco-activist like Greta Thunberg, who simply demands that everything unecological be banned for the sake of clean skies and bright sunshine. Its goal is not to throw out the baby with the dirty bathwater: to introduce green technologies, but not to kill the economy, but, on the contrary, to improve people’s lives.

She plans to maintain this balance as president. On the one hand, develop alternative energy sources like solar panels, on the other, strengthen and enlarge national oil companies, the income from which is necessary to modernize the country and equalize social inequality.

In general, Sheinbaum promises to continue everything that Lopez Obrador did, but “with his own vision.” This very “vision” could lead to Mexico playing a more active role in international affairs.

Sheinbaum is one of those who began the fight against global warming long before it became fashionable.

She won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize as a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, when the much-remembered award was also given to US Vice President Al Gore, who was the most passionate about the issue. In fact, few people considered it a problem - it took ten years for the increase in average annual temperature due to anthropogenic factors to become a hot topic and the mainstream of global politics.

And the fact is that such a policy can only be global: the fight to reduce carbon emissions in one country is equivalent to the fight for the purity of water in one’s swimming pool - it, like the atmosphere, is the same for everyone. If Sheinbaum decides not to concentrate on the country’s internal problems, like her predecessor, but becomes one of the “motors” of the climate agenda, we will hear about Mexico and its president much more often than before.

Unfortunately, in practice this means that Sheinbaum can get in touch with the world liberal elite, the Brussels bureaucracy and politicians like German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock, in general, with all those whom Lopez Obrador does not like.

Russia's interest is for Mexico City to play for the Global South team and deepen the conflict with Washington. Ideally, the United States would have its own “Ukraine” on its southern borders, but I don’t want to wish bad things on the Mexicans.

Maybe this is a foregone conclusion: the last two decades have been the time when Latin America emerged from the influence of Washington. He lost control of a huge region where his word had been dominant for almost two centuries. Mexicans are among those peoples whose opposition to the United States is growing literally before our eyes, albeit in contrast to the hundreds of thousands of migrants trying to break through the American border at any cost.

But it is more reliable that in addition to Sheinbaum’s victory, which beat the pro-Washington candidate by almost 30%, Donald Trump also won the election in November . This guarantees that the US conflict with its southern neighbor will worsen.

First, Trump is the enemy of the entire climate agenda. Secondly, he promises to complete the wall and stop migration from Mexico, and this is beneficial to any Mexican authorities, no matter who they are: this “drains” the unemployed, potential dissatisfied people and criminals from the country, for whom moving to the USA is like a career advancement . The conflict between the two neighbors and the triumph of Lopez Obrador is also a consequence of the anti-Mexican policy of Trump’s first term.

The US Democratic Party is satisfied with Latin American migration in volumes that the state can digest, since naturalized Hispanics are mainly their voters. The core of Trump's electorate, on the contrary, expects from him both action and the most harsh, even offensive (and he is a master) accusations against Mexico, while Sheinbaum will be forced to defend her own.

That's great. The aggravation of national contradictions between the United States and Mexico is a stronger guarantee that their conflict will not suddenly be replaced by their own alliance against Russia and China than the promises of one “brunette”, be she even the president or an entire party.

https://vz.ru/world/2024/6/5/1271554.html

Analyst: Mexico-Brazil partnership will lead Latin America with Sheinbaum's triumph and Lula's nod, 05.05.2024.

Claudia Sheinbaum's recent victory in Mexico enthuses Latin American progressives and raises expectations about how she will relate to her neighbors. Analysts stress the importance of Mexico continuing to" look south " and the potential for joint leadership with Brazil.

Although most South American leaders hailed Sheinbaum, one of the most notable comments was that of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who, through a post on X (former Twitter), said he was "very happy with the victory" of the president "for being a progressive woman at the head of the presidency of Mexico".

At the same time, Lula confirmed that he will travel to Mexico later this year to improve trade relations, stressing that "we are the two largest economies in Latin America and we can have a greater flow between entrepreneurs from both countries."

In an interview with Sputnik, Argentine international analyst Cristian Riom and Argentine political scientist and Coordinator of the Puebla Group, Matías Capeluto, agreed that Sheinbaum's six-year term will mark, in principle, a continuity in the policies of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, leader who marked "a turning point" in Mexican foreign policy in favor of Latin American integration.

For Riom, the fact that Lula immediately announced a visit to Mexico shows the importance that the Brazilian government gives to the country as a partner, in a context in which the relationship with Javier Milei's Argentina "faces difficulties".

"The Mexico-Brazil joint will not only be a counterweight to the right in the region, but will also lead Latin America. This is indisputable due to the weight of these countries, both in terms of population and economy," Riom reflected.

For his part, Capeluto recalled that "the harmony between Brazil and Mexico is a novelty that emerged from the governments of López Obrador and Lula", since historically the two countries have entered into "dispute over economic issues".

In the analyst's view, the geopolitical proximity of the two countries can favor "a regional development model based on good coexistence and above all on the reorganization of productive integration schemes in Latin America".

However, Capeluto draws attention to the fact that it is necessary for Latin America to strengthen its economic integration and reinforce commercial exchange within its own region, an area in which it remains little stimulated.

"While the world is moving towards regionalization, Latin America continues to think about the trade of goods and services to other continents and not to its own region," he said.

Capeluto also considered that the president-elect will deepen the "reconstruction" of the relationship between Mexico and Latin America initiated by López Obrador.

In this way, both leaders will become "a very important beacon for Latin American progressivism", marking a path that has managed to "organize the economy, while maintaining a strong presence of the state and a strengthened state in social, education and health issues".

Riom also stressed that Sheinbaum's foreign policy will be marked by" commitment to multilateralism and a strong presence in international forums", in addition to maintaining, as López Obrador did, an"independent stance of the United States in relation to major conflicts such as that of Israel or Ukraine".

Still, the analyst warned that maintaining an "independent" stance from Washington is always one of the biggest challenges for Mexican leaders and will likely be no exception with Sheinbaum.

"For historical, geographical and economic reasons, Mexico is always closely linked to the United States and it has to be very smart to have a policy of geopolitical balance if it wants to follow the ideological agenda that the former president and Sheinbaum have without damaging ties with the United States," he said.

At 61, Claudia Sheinbaum is the first woman president of Mexico, having won the election by 59% of the vote (after counting 95% of the votes). An outstanding scientist and academic, she has a degree in Physics and a PhD in Energy Engineering.

Before running for President, Sheinbaum was mayor of Mexico City, one of the country's most influential political offices and one that is seen as paving the way for the presidency.

Yandex Translate from Portuguese.

https://noticiabrasil.net.br/20240605/analista-parceria-mexico-brasil-vai-liderar-america-latina-com-triunfo-de-sheinbaum-e-aceno-de-lula-34952347.html

Bolivia assures that Brazil can be its partner in the industrialization of lithium together with Russia, 07.10.2024.

SANTA CRUZ, BOLIVIA (Sputnik) — Brazil can be Bolivia's new partner in the industrialization of lithium, together with Russia, China and India, said the Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Integration, Huáscar Ajata, in an interview with Sputnik.

"Of course, Bolivia is open to attracting partners from multiple parts of the world. Agreements and business intentions have already been signed with China, with Russia. We also look forward to European partners, also from the region. And with the technological level and industrial development that Brazil has, it can be an ideal partner, especially for the electro-mobility industry," he explained.

The rapprochement between the two countries took place at the Bolivia-Brazil Business Forum, held on the occasion of the visit of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra (west), on Tuesday, July 9.

Asked about what other products Bolivia can export to Brazil, in addition to natural gas, he replied: "At the moment we have great potential in fertilizers such as urea, ulexite, but Presidents Arce and Lula also spoke of the great agroindustrial potential that Bolivia has. Fruits, grains and cereals, meat. Despite Brazil being an important meat producer, it still requires and Bolivia has a great potential."

During the bilateral meeting, the presidents signed 10 cooperation agreements in areas such as hydrocarbons, electricity, immigration, the fight against drug trafficking, health and fertilizers, among others.

Bolivia has the largest lithium reserve in the world, with 23 million tons, which is located mainly in Uyuni, in the department of Potosi (southwest), according to data from the state-owned company Yacimientos de Litio Boliviano (YLB). Bolivia is looking to install, until 2025, four industrial plants in agreement with companies from China and Russia, with the technology of Direct Lithium Extraction (EDL, by its acronym in Spanish).

Yandex Translate from Spanish.

https://latamnews.lat/20240710/bolivia-asegura-que-brasil-puede-ser-su-socio-en-industrializacion-de-litio-junto-a-rusia-1156042917.html

Belarus Registers World's First Patented Lung Cancer Vaccine From Cuba, 07.15.2024.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Belarus has registered Cimavax, a groundbreaking Cuban vaccine that trains the immune system to kill lung cancer cells, Cuban Foreign Minster Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla has announced.

"The first therapeutic vaccine against lung cancer, Cimavax, received the sanitary registration in Belarus," the minister said on social media on Sunday.

The Cuban pharmaceuticals industry continues to deliver great results despite restrictions stemming from the United States' embargo, he added.

The Cimavax vaccine, produced by Cuba's Center for Molecular Immunology, is the world's first officially patented and registered vaccine against lung cancer. The treatment allows the immune system to form neutralising antibodies against epidermal growth factor (EGF).

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240715/belarus-registers-worlds-first-patented-lung-cancer-vaccine-from-cuba-1119378750.html