Hermanos de Armas, ‘Brothers at Arms’: A tale of two countries Colombia and Venezuela – feat. H.E. Alberto José Mejia Ferrero & Prof. R. Evan Ellis, US Army War College STRATEGIKON 90 (Audio Only)

For our last STRATEGIKON of 2020, John and David interviewed two excellent speakers on an issue that gets very little traction in Australia - Venezuela. The Maduro dictatorship in Caracas, Venezuela is an inherently destabilising force in northern South America. Supported by Russia, the PRC and the Islamic Republic of Iran, Maduro has endured the mercurial Trump years, has thwarted US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó, leaving the oil-rich country on the verge of economic collapse and its people in destitution. Maduro's destabilising influence has been felt in neighbouring brother country, Colombia where hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan refugees cluster in makeshift camps. What led to this situation? Why has the US been powerless to bring down Maduro? And how has Colombia handled the refugee crisis? In this episode we are honoured to be joined by the Ambassador of Colombia to Australia, H.E. Alberto José Mejia Ferrero & returning guest, Prof. R. Evan Ellis from the US Army War College.