As Congress, Republican presidential candidates, and much of the U.S., South American, and European media are sounding the alarm on suspicious activities by Iran and Hezbollah in Latin America, the State Department is hitting the snooze button.

When a group of countries block consensus on the most fundamental issues (such as promoting democracy or fighting terrorism or drugs) in a conscious effort to undermine the organization's effectiveness, 'consensus' becomes a weakness.

Our enemies read U.S. indifference as a green light to join Chávez’s conspiracy, and our friends believe that we do not know or do not care what is happening in Latin America.

U.S. military training missions are an economical way to promote security and good governance and to support our friends and allies and prepare them to tackle these problems on their own, as well as help other countries in the region. 

Hezbollah is using the Western Hemisphere as a staging ground, fundraising center, and operational base to wage asymmetric warfare against the United States. Venezuela's Hugo Chávez and other anti-American governments in the region have facilitated this expansion by rolling out the welcome mats for Hezbollah and Iran.

In the most recent Education Outlook, AEI scholar Rick Hess and Taryn Hochleitner explain how the inflation of college rankings contributes to a false sense of exclusivity and rising tuitions.

The decision today by Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa to expel U.S. Ambassador Heather Hodges has little to do with hurt feelings over circumspect observations in a Wikileaked cable. Rather, this move signals Correa’s intention to create a political free-fire-zone in his country, as he cracks down on internal opponents and imposes the "Chávez model."

In Ecuador, operating under the radar, Rafael Correa is imposing his own autocratic vision for his country's path to salvation.