Hurricanes, Ambassadors, & Authoritarianism

Written by Elliott Cochran

September 26, 2022

Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday. Fiona was a category 4 hurricane and unleashed mass devastation. The storm caused massive flooding on the island then made its way to the Dominican Republic and Turks and Caicos. The storm’s level of destruction hasn’t been seen since 2017. The mass floods caused a million people without power and around 40% of the island does not have water service. As the hurricane continued, it hit the Dominican Republic. The DRC did not fair much better as thousands of people have been displaced. Turks and Caicos rolled through with high winds, torrential down pours, and more flooding.

El Salvador is experiencing a rise in authoritarianism even though consecutive re-election is illegal. The president, Nayib Bukele, announced that he would run for re-election in 2024. Unfortunately, El Salvador is not alone other Central American countries have experienced shifts not only by the people but also in the courts. The courts ruled in favor of the legality of re-election even though the constitution is built around single term administrations.

Nearly a dozen US ambassadors have made it to their post in the Caribbean. President Biden recently nominated an Ambassador to Ecuador. The President has not nominated an ambassador to its biggest ally in the region, Colombia. In other news the US embassy in Cuba is now able to process immigrant visas in 2023. The Biden administration announced that the embassy in Havana will begin processing immigrant visas for Cuban immigrants. 20,000 Cubans have been committed for legal migration.