According to the former State Department official for Latin America, Otto Reich, the United States should “disarticulate the Cuban-Venezuela axis because it endangers the stability of the region at a time when leftist governments like the Dominican Republic are coming to power.” According to Reich, the “combination of the evil genius of Castro, with his experience in political battles and his economic desperation plus the unlimited stream of money that Chavez and his immense imprudence possesses, threatens the stability and the security of the region.” Speaking at the press conference held at the fifth meeting of the conservative Atlas Foundation in Miami, Reich continued, “The defeat of this axis is an urgent necessity.” There were 300 delegates from 30 countries attending the conference of the foundation.