Cuba: On 13 October the Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans received approval from the Cuban government to operate direct flights to and from Havana. The airport’s spokeswoman, Michelle Wilcut, told the US broadcaster CNN that the approval “provides another opportunity, another avenue for private industry to build those flights”. Earlier this year US government loosened restrictions to allow more US airports and charter airlines to provide direct services to Cuba. However, travel to Cuba to remains restricted for the majority of US citizens. Non-Cuban Americans must seek a special licence for “purposeful” travel, typically meaning for academic, religious or cultural exchanges. Previously, charter flights to Cuba only flew out of airports in New York, Miami and Los Angeles.
Mexico: There is growing prevalence of cases of US children being abducted in the US and taken to Mexico. Invariably, the children are taken by a divorced parent who then flees home to Mexico. According to data from the US State Department, there were 300 reported cases in 2008, rising to 500 in 2010. The scale of the problem becomes clear when set against the reported number of such incidents worldwide every year; 1,200. Maureen Heads, spokeswoman for the National Center for Abducted and Exploited Children, told the EFE news agency on 11 October that if a parent takes their child to another country without the consent of the other parent then it is considered a federal crime. Because of the transnational dimension, resolving this type of crime is difficult and expensive, and normally requires the cooperation of the authorities in both states. Heads said that improving cooperation with counterpart organizations abroad is a priority for the US authorities.
Mexico: On 11 October the Under Secretary of the US Army, Joseph Westphal, stated that it is a Mexican issue to decide what sort of military aid it wants from the US for its war on drug cartels. “I would like President Calderón to be the one telling us what help he needs from the US”, asserted Westphal. On 7 October, speaking at the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics, Westphal told students that the problem “isn’t just about drugs”, but about “a takeover of government by individuals who are corrupt”. He also stressed that the war on drugs is a priority for the US because it is happening “right on our border”. US Republicans, including the governor of Texas and 2012 presidential aspirant, Rick Perry, are pressuring President Barack Obama to upgrade US-Mexico military cooperation. Perry suggests that US troops should be deployed to Mexico.
Uruguay: On 7 October the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, released a video congratulating Uruguayans on the bicentenary of ‘The Cry of Asencio’ a military uprising on 28 February 1811, which marked the beginning of Uruguay’s fight for independence from Spain. She also highlighted the strong relationship between the two nations, based on their “shared history, common values and ties of friendship and family”. The message, which was released by the Bureau of International Information and posted on the website of the US embassy in Uruguay, ended with Clinton declaring that the US was looking forward to strengthening bilateral relations and forging “even deeper bonds” through the US Peace Corps programs and cultural exchanges.
