Security & Strategic Review - March 2026

Preliminary annual crime data for 2025 published by Brazil’s justice and public security ministry show that last year had the lowest number of homicides since 2015, and that murders have been declining every year for the last five years.... Read More

With the signing into law of an amnesty bill for political prisoners on 19 February, Venezuela’s new government has taken an important step towards easing the repression that prevailed under former president Nicolás Maduro (2013-2026).... Read More

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro took office in August 2022 with the uplifting message that a new approach could break a vicious cycle of violence that has lasted over six decades.... Read More

Ecuador suffered its second most violent January in history this year, hot on the heels of what was, by some distance, the country’s most violent year on record in 2025.... Read More

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has launched an initiative aimed at combatting violence against women.... Read More

President Yamandú Orsi made his first state visit to China from 1-7 February during which his official delegation signed various cooperation agreements with Uruguay’s largest trade partner.... Read More

For decades, successive Mexican presidents have worked to maintain the country’s historic ties with Cuba while also keeping on the good side of Washington.... Read More

Mexico’s state of Sinaloa has been undergoing a sustained wave of violence since September 2024, driven by an internal conflict between rival factions of the Cártel de Sinaloa.... Read More

On 2 February Mexico’s national water commission (Conagua) announced the lowest levels of drought recorded in the country for six years.... Read More

Following the US military action in Venezuela to remove former president Nicolás Maduro (2013-2026), and amid extreme US pressure against Managua’s other key ally in the region, Cuba, there are signs that Nicaragua’s authoritarian government led by co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo has been making concessions to the US administration of President Donald Trump.... Read More

On 12 January the inter-disciplinary group of independent experts (GIEI) established in February 2025 by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to investigate the 2016 murder of indigenous environmentalist Berta Cáceres [SSR-25-03], presented its final report.... Read More

A 29 January ruling by Panama’s supreme court (CSJ) striking down a concession for two ports on the Panama Canal owned by Hong Kong-headquartered CK Hutchison Holdings (CKH) via its subsidiary Panama Ports Company (PPC) is widely considered a victory for the US, which has sought to curb Chinese influence in the region.... Read More

On 15 February El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele claimed that the navy had seized 6.6 tonnes (t) of cocaine worth some US$165m in what he described as the country’s biggest single drug seizure.... Read More

For the third election in a row, on 11 February the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) led by Prime Minister Mia Mottley won a 30-0 clean sweep in the house of assembly.... Read More