At the same time as maintaining strong cooperation ties with the United States in the fight against drug trafficking, Nicaragua is carrying out naval exercises with the Russian Navy.
An article on Actualidad.rt.com reports that "... Russia and Nicaragua carried out these joint exercises in the Caribbean Sea in recent days in order to help combat illicit trafficking of drugs and put an end to the use of Central America as a main transit corridor.
This compromises the integration in the region, because it will never be a good idea to do business with someone who has a gun in their hand.
EDITORIAL:
Integration assumes there is a common set of rules based on a philosophy which is also commonly held by all participants in the group. The Central American countries have - so far - rules that allow the development of their economies according to liberal criteria which - below the relationship between companies - leaves out force as a factor in conflict resolution, appealing - always - to systems of justice.
The US Navy is going to reactivate its Latin American command, the Fourth Fleet, for the first time since 1950.
The Fourth Fleet was deactivated in the wake of the second world war, but as of July 1 the US Navy will once again have a high-level command specifically charged with supervision of its units in Latin America and the Caribbean.