The Menges Hemispheric Security Project

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     Venezuela’s rich flow of oil revenues has enabled Chavez to buy the support of sectors of Venezuelan society and assert himself as the leader of what he calls a “jihad” against American imperialism. Chavez’s sense of moral justice is manifest in his alliance with the worst criminal organizations in Latin America, especially the narcoterrorists in Colombia.                          


US News and World Report, 2005 

The thirty-four states of Latin America, with a combined population of over 500 million, constitute a region of immense importance. The United States has a 2,000 mile land border with Mexico, and an equally long maritime border with the island states of the Caribbean. More importantly, three of the top four oil-exporting nations to the United States are located in the Western Hemisphere.


Consequently, threats to American interests in the Western Hemisphere have direct and immediate impacts on the vital security and economic interests of the United States. Such threats can range from those internal to the region notably the Castro-Chavez axis and democratic institutions faltering under their assault to external threats such as the rising influence of the Communist Chinese government in the region and the continued spread of radical Islam.


By contrast, the presence of mutually beneficial and peaceful relations as well as healthy democratic institutions throughout the Western Hemisphere serve to protect American interests. The work of the Center’s Hemispheric Security project in this area advocates for these relations and institutions.









Dr. Constantine Menges
Besides the Center, no other non-governmental organization in the capital of the United States has a full-time information and action program devoted to promoting Western Hemisphere security. The Center is the sole reliable and independent source for trusted analysts and experts who provide information, ideas, and action on regional security issues in South and Central America.


The Menges Hemispheric Security Project is named in honor of Dr. Constantine C. Menges who before his untimely death in 2004 was the foremost expert on the formulation of strategies aimed at countering communist political warfare and aggression through proxies, and encouraging transitions to democracy abroad. 

Frank Gaffney, Jr.
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