Kendra Gaither

"In the last installment of our interview series with Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr., KPRG's Naina Rao delves into how China’s growing influence in the region affects the consensus shared between Pacific Island countries. President Whipps also discussed the challenge of balancing traditional values with increasing modernity. But first, what will the renewed Compact funding be used for? And where will it go?"

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United States Southern Command's General Richardson is a big inspiration and one of the most strategic American leader doing an outstanding job in a more volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment in Latin America, leveraging a DIME Framework (diplomacy, intelligence/informational, military, and economic national instruments of power) to address serious cross-border converging threats in the SOUTHCOM AOR, linked to other regions of the world. International Coalition Against Illicit Economies (ICAIE) / ICAIE Labs U.S. Department of State U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Office of the Director of National Intelligence The Wilson Center May also find a recent ICAIE blog of interest inspired in part by the General's strategic foresight and national security perspectives on today's spectrum of threats across the Americas, and linked to other cross-border zones of converging threat vectors around the world: David M. Luna, "Perspective: Getting Ahead of the Game in a new Multi-Polar World across Today's Spectrum of Threats, Converging Ecosystems of Criminality, and Hybrid (Irregular) Warfare," Small Wars Journal, 14 May 2024, https://lnkd.in/e_hh4dkZ. #threatconvergence #illiciteconomies #illicittrade #corruption #maligninfluence #authoritarianism #GPC #democracy #organizedcrime #moneylaundering #threatfinance #hybridwarfare #irregularwarfare #grayzones

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🚀 Exciting News Alert! 🚀 Delve into the heart of American global leadership with my latest Substack article: "America: The Arsenal of Democracy." 💡 In this thought-provoking piece, we not only explore America's industrial might but also delve into its crucial role in shaping global conflicts, particularly in regions like Ukraine. As tensions continue to simmer in Eastern Europe, it's essential to understand the significance of American leadership in defending and supporting democracy worldwide. 🌍 From providing crucial military aid to supporting diplomatic efforts, the United States plays a pivotal role in safeguarding Ukraine's sovereignty and preserving democracy in the region. Discover how American support and aid shape the world and the course of history by ensuring a brighter future for nations striving for freedom and democracy. 💪 🔗 Dive into the article here: https://lnkd.in/ePVuZnN6 Ready to learn how American and European support of Ukraine is shaping the future of democracy? Join me on this enlightening journey! Don't forget to share your thoughts and insights in the comments below. Let's ignite a discussion that celebrates the importance of international cooperation! 🌟 #AmericanLeadership #Ukraine #Geopolitics #GlobalStability #Substack #Article #MustRead #LinkedInLearning

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Join us tomorrow for this timely discussion about the upcoming RNC and DNC -- "Unconventional Conventions."

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Blue Action welcomed the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) to Freeport, Grand Bahama. The Clinton Global Initiative Symposium aimed to address significant challenges and opportunities in climate leadership within the Caribbean, focusing on empowering frontline and women's leadership in these efforts. The event included a discussion titled "Bahamas Spotlight: Local Solutions to Scale in the Caribbean," which emphasized the importance of local solutions in tackling regional climate challenges. By bringing together diverse leaders and focusing on innovative solutions, the event worked to foster collaboration and inspire actionable strategies to address climate change and resilience challenges in the Caribbean, with a focus on frontline and women's leadership in these efforts. From Left to Right: Lauren Ritchie, Founder, The Eco Justice Project, Lashanti Jupp, Founder, Bahamas Conservation Connection, Cha Boyce, Development Director, Friends of The Environment - FOTE, Rashema Ingraham, Executive Director, Waterkeepers Bahamas and Technical Director, Blue Action Lab. #womeninclimatechange #caribbeanclimateaction

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Great work from Connecting Business Initiative and CARICHAM: The Network of Caribbean Chambers of Commerce The private sector mobilizes to respond to Hurricane Beryl With the 2024 hurricane season forecasted to be the worst on record, CBI and the Network of Chambers of Commerce in the Caribbean (CARICHAM) convened over 70 leaders from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the UN, and the business community at the workshop “Building Public-Private Partnerships for Disaster Resilience in the Caribbean". The participants shared regional and global best practices in public-private cooperation and test disaster response protocols. They also developed a common agenda for integrating and scaling up private sector engagement in disaster preparedness, humanitarian coordination, response, and recovery. Less than a week later, much earlier than expected, Hurricane Beryl hit the region. Right now, CARICHAM is working with businesses in the region to consolidate financial and in-kind contributions from the private sector and help them continue to operate during the emergency. El Centro Nacional de Apoyo para Contingencias Epidemiológicas y Desastres (CENACED), the CBI Member Network in Mexico, is working with the local government to mobilize support. So far, they have sent two teams, that include psychologists and doctors, along with food packages and water for the affected communities.

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📌Today, the #UNSC met to discuss #Haiti. #Malta 🇲🇹 welcomed the establishment of the Transitional Presidential Council & commends #CARICOM’s efforts on the political front. We underscored the importance of women’s representation in a Haitian-led & owned political process. We are alarmed by the levels of human rights violations in #Haiti, including killings, SGBV/rapes, kidnappings, & recruitment of children. The international community must scale-up support for the Haitian Police & we call for the urgent deployment of the #MSS mission (2699) Finally, the #Haiti’s humanitarian situation is dire, as 360-thousand are displaced ⛺️. Freedom of movement & access to healthcare are severely restricted and nearly 5 million people suffer acute food insecurity. Haiti’s #HRP must be funded to ensure delivery of essential humanitarian aid. #UNSCMTPres 🇲🇹  United Nations 🇺🇳

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As part of our public policy to increase and promote R&D activities on the island, the Departamento de Desarrollo Económico y Comercio commissioned a survey that had not been performed since 2014, to understand what is state of R&D on the island, including information about spend, FTEs working on R&D, profile of companies, etc. The survey, who was led by Dr. Manuel Lobato , in collaboration with our DDEC economic team, found among other things, that not only has R&D spend increased (~45%), but that it was driven by local companies (increase from 30% of the spend in 2014, to 40% now). The results are encouraging, giving us confidence that innovation on the island is growing, and that policies put in place over the years, are having positive results. We will continue to monitor this as we continue to invest on building R&D capabilities and infrastructure on the island in our pursuit of having an innovation based economy.

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Check out our recent podcast episode that highlights host siblings!

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Is Cuba Actually Influencing 2024 Elections in Florida? The Miami Herald has flung all concern for journalistic standards to the wind in a fear-mongering piece speculating that Cuba will influence 2024 elections in Florida. The evidence? McClatchy correspondent Michael Wilner and Miami Herald reporter Nora Gámez Torres present none. Instead, they base their piece on an “assessment,” about which almost no details are provided, by anonymous officials with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Wilner and Gámez Torres dedicate most of the article to citing previous examples of Cuba’s alleged meddling in Florida politics, including another article written by Wilner about another assessment from the same Director of National Intelligence (notice a theme?) that stated the Cuban government attempted to denigrate “specific U.S. candidates in Florida” during the 2022 midterm elections. That report states that Cuban officials sought to “establish relationships with members of the U.S. media who held critical views of members of Congress.” This is no bombshell. Governments around the world have officials who work to build relationships with members of the U.S. media, especially ones that may be sympathetic. It’s called media relations. Read more at: https://lnkd.in/eBA8F9ur

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🌎 Exciting opportunity alert! Join the US Department of Commerce International Trade Administration (ITA) for the Global Diversity Export Initiative (GDEI) Trade Mission to the Caribbean, November 17-22, 2024! ℹ️ Featuring the Opportunities for Minority-Led Businesses in the Caribbean Region Conference in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on November 17-18, 2024, this mission aims to boost export opportunities for American small and medium-sized businesses led by individuals from underserved communities. 🚀 Open to all export-ready US companies—including small businesses, trade associations, and other exporting organizations—this initiative targets industries with immense potential in the Caribbean region, including automotive, consumer goods, medical equipment, ICT, energy, and more. 🌟 Don't miss out on this chance to expand your business horizons and tap into new markets! Learn more and apply now at the link below! #ExportOpportunities #GDEITradeMission #CaribbeanBusiness

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H.R. 8038, the “21st Century Peace through Strength Act,” introduced by House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Michael McCaul, passed in the House by 360 votes. If passed by the Senate and signed into law, it would represent a significant stride in shaping U.S. policy to support the Iranian people's Resistance to end theocratic rule in Iran. Chairman McCaul should be commended for introducing H.R. 8038. Special thanks should go to representatives Michael Lawler, Jim Banks, Nathaniel Moran, and French Hill, who introduced the original Iran-related language in H.R. 8038 and have co-sponsored either H.Res. 100 and/or H.Res. 1148 in the 118th Congress, which “recognizes the rights of the Iranian people and their struggle to establish a democratic, secular, and nonnuclear Republic of Iran.” H.R. 8038 has 15 divisions, six directly opposing the Iranian regime. The goal of the ‘‘Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum Act’’ or the ‘‘SHIP Act’’ is to reduce the Iranian regime’s revenue from oil exports, which funds terrorism. The Fight and Combat Rampant Iranian Missile Exports Act, the "FIGHT CRIME Act," aims to hinder Tehran's development and proliferation of ballistic missiles and drones. The Mahsa Amini Human Rights and Security Accountability Act, the "MAHSA Act," highlights the role of Ebrahim Raisi as someone who “has supported the recent crackdown on protestors and is a rights violator himself, having served on a ‘death commission’ in 1988 that led to the execution of several thousand political prisoners in Iran.” This act aims to sanction Iranian regime officials for human rights abuses and support for terrorism, including Supreme Leader Khamenei and, its President Ebrahim Raisi. The "No Technology for Terror Act" makes permanent existing U.S. export control restrictions that prohibit the transfer of American-made technology to the Iranian regime to build weapons systems such as drones and missiles. The "Holding Iranian Leaders Accountable Act of 2024" aims to increase transparency regarding the Iran regime leaders’ finances. The "Iran-China Energy Sanctions Act of 2023" aims to limit the purchase of the Iranian regime’s petroleum or petroleum products.

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#Envoy of Country comments on the disappointing disjointed actions for the Haiti-7 Leaders Committee. They cannot come to a proper consensus, cannot elect a leader and now, idea is for a rotation leadership direction? Knights of Malta (US) Sovereign State. Federation of Autonomous Priories of St.John oppose this disjointed, fractured and now, close to irrelevant group that cannot lead let alone get out of their own way. The #Caribbean #Leadership failed. U.S. Department of State needs better dedicated representation. Our #Business #Diplomats are prepared to help the daunting task of properly creating the agenda, committee focus and attention to immediately solve issues to help the citizens of Haiti return to #normalcy. The Gangs must be put in check and illict activities such as: gun-running, drug-delivery, providing cover for organized crime now. United Nations European Commission Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce Caribbean Women in Leadership Caribbean Leadership Empowerment Foundation Caribbean Centre for Leadership Caribbean- Euopean Leadership https://lnkd.in/eSBqD2pz

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It was an honor to contribute to El Centro/ SWJ on the Mexican military and levels of trust. The article is titled: "Understanding Support for the Mexican Military and Its Role in Combating Organized Crime" https://lnkd.in/e2-KV4rG

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Javier Cobas joins me for a #podcast about the events that occurred on #J13 Ven-Vamos Strategies believes that free speech and the right to political activity is fundamental in #America. #republicans and #democrats both agree that #political violence is unacceptable and we must tone down the #rhetoric . Regaldess of where you fall in your #ideology we must condemn any acts of violence. #shorts #podcasting #politicalcommentary

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💡 A regional examination of the Eastern and Southern Caribbean - 11 countries: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. It analyzes the prevalence of gangs, their involvement in crime, risk factors for gang involvement, and transnational links between gangs and criminal enterprises. Go LACLEARN! https://lnkd.in/eSTHN5pq

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