I'm John Batch with my colleague, Evan Ellis, of the U.S. Army War College, and we're discussing

the Caribbean first. And it is striking to me to learn these states for the first time. I fault

myself and then also some of the presumptions of 20th century education, which I enjoyed.

But in any event, the Caribbean was sort of skipped after the Haitian revolution under Napoleon

that 225 years later I'm catching up.

The professors here to help me understand.

We've started with Suriname, where the

election is not decided, but also Suriname is a future very rich oligarchy, oil oligarchy as well.

So we turn to a man who is Surinamese, Albert Ramdeen, but a long-time diplomat, but is now the head of the OAS.

Why that's important is that the OAS is now being called upon to assert itself in some

fashion in the trouble in the Caribbean, chiefly in Haiti.

Professor, what do we need to know about Albert Ramdin?

As a diplomat, he doesn't sound like a man who wants to deal with war fighting.

Well, John, this is an important moment in the role that the OAS has played and can continue to

play in the region.

I had the pleasure of briefly interacting years ago with

Albert de Ramdin. He originally was part of what was called the multi-dimensional

security portion of the OAS. And so he understands the OAS well. He's worked at its bureaucracy

for a number of years. And now, of course, he literally, you know, just I believe yesterday assumed

control as its new leader. Now, of course, the previous head, who often kind of colors the

way in which the OAS members are coordinated, Luis Al-Magro, was despite his leftist credentials, very principled and strongly pro-U.S.

And so under the previous head, Luis Helmagro, you had a lot of pushback against the

...