U.S. Analyzing Security in Latin America

The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs held a session today in order to analyze the challenges and “emerging threats” in relation to security in Latin America.

The president of this committee, Republican legislator of Cuban origin Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, stated in a press release that the object of the session is to examine these “emerging threats” to security in the region and the steps that the U.S. government must take to combat them. The committee discussed issues such as drug trafficking, extremism, illegal financing and the “growing influence” of regimes that, according to Ros-Lehtinen, are hostile to U.S. interests.

The committee reviewed further assistance and security policies of the U.S. toward Latin America, as well as “priorities” in the region.

Participating in the session was, among others, the Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs William Brownfield, and the Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research Philip S. Goldberg.

Brownfield was previously the U.S. ambassador to Colombia. Goldberg was the ambassador to Bolivia, before being expelled in 2008 by President Evo Morales, who accused him of conspiring against his government and of aiding his opponents.

The session comes on the heels of a thwarted terrorist attempt on the life of Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the U.S., Adel al-Jubeir, and against Saudi Arabian and Israeli diplomatic buildings in Washington, according to the U.S.

Whether these attacks had the support of the Iranian government will be clarified in the session this Thursday. Today, the State Department contacted the Argentinean government to discuss the terrorist plots, but did not confirm press reports suggesting that the plot also included attacks in Buenos Aires.