The Olive Ridley sea turtle was nearly hunted into extinction two decades ago. Oaxaca’s beaches were a slaughter ground where the turtles—large, slow on land, and unable to retract their heads into their shells—were targeted for their eggs (hailed as an aphrodisiac), meat, and fat. Prior to 1950, 10 million Olive Ridley nested on Mexico’s beaches, but that number dwindled to an estimated 40,000 by 1988. Today, the species is enjoying a comeback thanks to the protective hand of the Mexican government.
Olive Ridley’s nest in large numbers on just a handful of beaches, primarily in Costa Rica, India, and Mexico. In 1990 Mexico banned the killing of sea turtles, including the harvest of turtle eggs. And now the Mexican navy patrols the shores of Oaxaca’s beaches to ensure safe nesting. Though still classified as “endangered” an estimated one million Olive Ridley’s nest on Mexico’s shores each year.
I highlight this story for two reasons. First, Mexico has been lambasted in the past, with some reason, for its environmental track record. Anachronistically, Americans widely view Mexico as the land that fancies catching dolphin in tuna nets. Mexico deserves credit for having turned a corner. Second, What is the Mexican navy doing? Among Latin American militaries, Mexico’s navy is extremely small and outdated.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
