Associate Professor of
National Security Studies,
Modeling, Gaming and Simulation

202.685.4670 CHDS Main
chdsacademics@ndu.edu

Areas of Expertise:

•China-Latin America relations
•Latin America's relations with other external actors (Russia, Iran, India)
•Populism and the the Andean Region
•Petroleum and Energy Security
•Mexico / Central America Organized Crime and Gang Issues
•Wargame Design and Execution
•System Dynamics Analysis of Political, Economic, and Defense Issues

Biography:

Dr. Evan Ellis is a professor of national security studies, modeling, gaming and simulation with the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, with a research focus on Latin America's relationships with external actors, including China, Russia and Iran, as well as work on populism in the Andes, transnational criminal organizations and gangs in Mexico and Central America, energy security, and non-traditional national security topics.   Dr. Ellis has published 49 works, including the 2009 book China in Latin America: The Whats and Wherefores, as well as articles in national security, finance, and technical journals.

Dr. Ellis has presented his work in a broad range of business and government forums in 23 countries four continents, and is a regular guest lecturer at the U.S. Air Force Special Operations School.  He has appeared in a number of radio and television programs, including CNN En Espanol, Voice of America, and Radio Marti, and has given testimony on Chinese activities in Latin America to the US Congress.  Dr. Ellis is cited regularly in the media, in both the US and Latin America, including the Washington Times, Bloomberg, America Economia, DEF, and InfoBAE, among others. Dr. Ellis holds a PhD in political science with a specialization in comparative politics.

Associate Professor, Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, National Defense University, February 2009 to Present
Dr. Ellis' current duties at the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies include research and publication on Latin America's relationship with external actors such as China, the design and execution of events and studies, and the management and teaching of courses.  He is also the technical lead for the CHDS "NationLab" program.  In this role, Dr. Ellis works closely with senior Latin American military leaders to conduct interactive wargame events on issues of national security of central importance to those nations, including narcotrafficking, gangs, humanitarian crises, and a range of other topics.

Publications:

"Chinese Military Activities in Latin America: Panda or Dragon? "  Perspectiva.  Issue 28.  March-June 2012 (forthcoming)
•"Chinese Engagement with the ALBA Countries: A Relationship of Mutual Convenience?"  University of Miami.  Sprint 2012 (forthcoming).
•"China – Involucramiento Militar en América Latina: Buena Voluntad, Buen Negocio, y Posición Estrategica?"  Air and Space Power Journal en Espanol.  Air & Space Power Journal en Espanol.  2nd Trimester 2012. Pp. 43-56.
•"Organized Crime Exploits China's Growing Links to Latin America"  China Brief.  Vol. 8.  No. 11.  May 25, 2012.
•"The United States, Latin America and China: A 'Triangular Relationship?"  Working Paper Series.  InterAmerican Dialogue.  Washington DC.  May 2012.
•"Latin American Outlook 2017"  Regional Insights.  Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies.  No. 1.  April 2012.
•"The United States and China in Latin America: Cooperation and Competition."  Security and Defense Studies Review.  Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies.  Vol. 12.  No. 1 & 2, Fall-Winter 2011.  Pp. 37-44.
•"The Expanding Chinese Footprint in Latin America: New Challenges for China, and Dilemmas for the US".  French Institute of International Relations (IFRI).  No. 49.  http://www.ifri.org/?page=contribution-detail&id=7014&id_provenance=88&provenance_context_id=2&lang=uk.  February 2012.
•"Actividades Chinas en las Naciones del Caribe."  Air & Space Power Journal en Espanol.  4th Semester 2011. Pp. 48-57.
•"The United States and China in Latin America:  Cooperation and Competition"  Regional Insights.  Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies.  November 2011 (forthcoming).
•"América Latina empezará a verle la cara a China"  InfoBAE.  http://www.infobae.com.  November 28, 2011.
•"China's Engagement with Peru: An Increasingly Strategic Relationship"  China Brief.  Vo. XI, No. 21.  September 30, 2011.  pp. 11-15.
•"China's Cautious Economic and Strategic Gamble in Venezuela"  China Brief.  Vo. XI, No. 18.  September 30, 2011.  pp. 7-11.
•"China Comes Calling."  Exchange.  Association for Financial Professionals.  Vol. 31.  No. 7.  September 2011.  Pp. 42-47.
•"Chinese Investment in Brazil."  Brazil Confidential.  http://www.brazilconfidential.com.  September 29, 2011. Pp. 27-31.
•"Global Insider: China-Caribbean Relations."  Interview.  World Politics Review.  http://wpr.vu/6G4IK.  September 27, 2011.
•"China – Latin America Military Engagement."  Carlisle Barracks, PA:  U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute.  http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/.  August 2011.
•"Soft Power: Examining China's role in Latin America."  Exchange.  Association for Financial Professionals.  May 2011.
•"Soft Power Chino en America Latina"  DEF.  April 2011.
•"China steps up a gear."  Brazil Confidential.  http://www.brazilconfidential.com/.  March 17, 2011. 
•"Rivalidades Emergentes de Múltiples Potencias en Latinoamérica." Air & Space Power Journal en Espanol.  Vol. 3.  No. 1.  1st Trimester 2011.  Pp. 16-25.
•"China's Bet on Brazil:  Drivers, Dynamics, and Implications of the Expanding Brazil-China Relationship." Regional Insights.  Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies.  Vol. 1.  February 1, 2011 (forthcoming).
•"What China Will Fight For in Latin America in the Coming Generation."  Security and Defense Studies Review.  Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies.  Vol. 11.  January 2011.
•"Book Review: The Dragon in the Room: China and the Future of Latin American Industrialization."  Security and Defense Studies Review.  Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies.  Vol. 11.  January 2011.
•"Global Insider: Argentine – China Trade Relations." Interview. World Politics Review, Feb. 2, 2011, http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/trend-lines/7752/global-insider-china-argentina-trade-relations.
•"Chinese Soft Power in Latin America: A Case Study."  Joint Forces Quarterly.  Issue 60.  1st Quarter 2011. Pp. 85-91.
•"New Frontiers? China-Latin America Space Cooperation",  Security and Defense Studies Review.  Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies.  Vol. 10.  January-June  2010.  Pp. 123-130.
•"Venezuela's Relationship with China: Implications for the Chávez Regime and the Region," University of Miami Center for Hemispheric Policy.  August 18, 2010.
•"Sosteniendo Populismo por Ganancia e Influencia: La Relación Estratégica entre Venezuela y la Republica Popular de China." Air & Space Power Journal en Espanol.  3rd Quarter 2010. 
•"Advances in China-Latin America Space Cooperation."  China Brief.  The Jamestown Foundation.  Vol. X.  Issue 14.  July 9, 2010.
•"Dynamics and Strategic Implications of Venezuela's Relationship with China", Regional Insights.  Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies.  Vol. 1.  July 15, 2010.
•"Las Relaciones China-Colombia en el Contexto de la Relación Estratégica entre Colombia y los EE.UU",  Security and Defense Studies Review.  Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies.  Vol. 9.  Issue 1.  2010.
•"Strategic Implications of Chinese Aid and Investment in Latin America."  China Brief.  The Jamestown Foundation.  Vol. 9.  Issue 20.  October 7, 2009.
•China and Latin America: The Whats and Wherefores.  Boulder, CO:  Lynne Rienner Publishers.  2009.
•"The Maturing of China's Relationship with Latin America."  China Brief.  The Jamestown Foundation.  Vol. 9.  Issue 6.  March 19, 2009.
•"El impacto de China en Ecuador y América Latina"  Relaciones Internacionales: Los Nuevos Horizontes.  Ed. Grace Jaramillo.  Quito, Ecuador: FLACSO, 2009.  Pp. 101-122.
•"Maras: Diagnosing and Combating an Emergent Geopolitical Virus." University of Miami Center for Hemispheric Policy.  August 1, 2008.
•"El Impacto de Comercio con China en las Economias y Sociedades de America Latina."  Revista de Dinamica de Sistemas.  Vol. 3.  No. 2.  November 2007.
•"Acogiendo a los Dragones: China y el Populismo en América Latina."  Air & Space Power Journal en Espanol.  3rd Semester 2007.
•"China Playing the Cuba Card: Resources, Geography, and Strategic Branding." Cuban Affairs.  Vol. 2.  Issue 2.  http://www.cubanaffairsjournal.org.  April 2007.
•"The Military-Strategic Dimensions of Chinese Initiatives in Latin America."  University of Miami Center for Hemispheric Policy.  February 16, 2007.
•"El Nuevo Romance Chino Con América Latina." Air & Space Power Journal en Espanol.  3rd Semester 2007. 
•"Business as Usual?".  Davies Arnold Cooper. June 2006.  pp. 8-10.
•"U.S. National Security Implications of Chinese Involvement in Latin America."  Carlisle Barracks, PA:  U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute.  June, 2005.
•"A New Chinese-Led Economic Order for Latin America?"  in Latin American Economic Forum Outcomes Report.  2005.  Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.  pp. 13-14.
•"The Sociopolitical Destabilization of Venezuela: A system dynamics perspective on the interaction of elite rhetoric, sociopolitical structure, and mass mobilization."  Conference proceedings of the 22nd International Conference of the System Dynamics Society. Oxford, England. July 25-29, 2004.
•"Latin and South America: A Case Study in Emergent Geopolitical Viruses."  IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology.  January 2004.
•"Organizational Learning Dominance: The Emerging Key to Success in the New Era of Warfare" Comparative Strategy.  May 1999.  Pp. 198-213.
•"Nodal Analysis and its Role in Precision Strike."  Precision Strike Technology Symposium 1998.  Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.  Laurel, MD.  14-15 October 1998.  Pp. 251-270.