5 key regions that require more attention from the US

The following regions and issues are among those critical to both short- and long-term US interests. They should draw greater US attention and diplomatic efforts.

5. Latin America

Security and narcotrafficking challenges remain. Nationalism in Venezuela is on the rise. Once emerging economies, such as in Argentina, are threatened. Regional power Brazil is facing a stagnant economy and a real need for reform.

Kara L. Bue is a partner at Armitage International L.C. She served as deputy assistant secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs from 2003 to 2005 and as a member of the Romney for President National Security Directorate in 2012.

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Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

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If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

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We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

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