Latin American Security & Strategic Review
Security & Strategic Review - September 2023
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- US changes tack on counter-narcotics in Colombia and Peru
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- ECUADOR: Gangs’ strength highlighted by coordinated prison uprisings
- BOLIVIA: Signs of cooperation with Chile over border security
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- BRAZIL: Reversing Bolsonaro’s pro-gun legacy
- BRAZIL: Quilombola population recognised in official statistics
- PARAGUAY-BRAZIL: Joint operations target criminal networks near borders
- ARGENTINA: Murders put focus on public security
MEXICO & USMCA
- MEXICO: Ayotzinapa investigation falls on more hard times
- MEXICO: Vaquita marina numbers remain a concern
- MEXICO: Anti-migrant river barrier sparks backlash
CENTRAL AMERICA
- EL SALVADOR: Security crackdown – a sure-fire vote winner for Bukele in 2024?
- REGION: Security alert over ‘Dry Corridor’
- NICARAGUA: Indigenous violence draws international concern
- HONDURAS: Edging towards the establishment of CICIH
CARIBBEAN
- GUYANA: Guyana deepens ties with Beijing
- CARIBBEAN POINTERS
President Joe Biden’s administration in the US has suspended satellite monitoring of Colombian coca cultivation, quietly dropping one of the key tools in its war on drugs while providing no public explanation for the change.
Security & Strategic Review - August 2023
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- Key figure in Mexico’s ‘self-defence’ movement murdered
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- VENEZUELA: Worrying signs ahead of 2024 election
- PERU: Historic dengue outbreak risks being worsened by El Niño
- COLOMBIA: Deforestation falls in promising sign for holistic peace efforts
- COLOMBIA/NICARAGUA: Colombia wins maritime border dispute at the ICJ
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- BRAZIL: Enduring challenges for Brazil’s anti-deforestation goals
- URUGUAY: Slow government response to Uruguay’s water crisis
- PARAGUAY: Foreign policy shift unlikely under Peña
MEXICO & USMCA
- MEXICO: Protests over violence towards EZLN communities in Chiapas
- MEXICO: Record heat has lethal effects
CENTRAL AMERICA
- GUATEMALA: ‘Pacto de corruptos’ laid bare
- NICARAGUA: Ortega cements control of police
- REGION: Little progress in LGBTI rights
CARIBBEAN
- REGION: A daunting agenda for Caricom at 50
The brother of Hipólito Mora, the former leader of Mexico’s ‘self-defence’ movement who was killed in Michoacán state on 29 June, has sworn that he and other citizens will once again take up arms if justice is not served to his brother’s killers.
Security & Strategic Review - July 2023
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- Chile’s second constitutional reform attempt veers to the right
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- COLOMBIA: ELN signs historic ceasefire agreement
- BOLIVIA: Morales revels in latest drug trafficking scandal
- ECUADOR: Referendum to decide fate of oil drilling in Yasuní
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- BRAZIL: Regulating Brazil’s online information ecosystem
- BRAZIL: Congress investigates landless workers’ movement
MEXICO & USMCA
- MEXICO: Migration after Title 42
- MEXICO: Activists call on government to act as illegal logging increases
- MEXICO: Incorruptible armed forces?
CENTRAL AMERICA
- EL SALVADOR: Redrawing the political map
- HONDURAS: New WB report warns of climate change impact
- COSTA RICA: Moving on medicinal cannabis
CARIBBEAN
- REGION: The US moves to counter China’s encroachments
- CARIBBEAN POINTERS
After dissatisfaction with social inequality saw mass protests erupt in Chile in 2019, the country’s political class agreed to launch a constituent process to replace the current magna carta, which was drafted during General Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship (1973-1990).
Security & Strategic Review - June 2023
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- The Caribbean’s move away from the British monarchy
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- PERU: Militarising the borders
- COLOMBIA/VENEZUELA: Increasing security cooperation
- ECUADOR: Lasso puts police on counter-terror footing
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- PARAGUAY: Tough times for democracy
- BRAZIL: The double-edged sword of Chinese investment
- REGION: Bird flu concerns sweep through Southern Cone
MEXICO & USMCA
- MEXICO: Los Chapitos in the limelight
- MEXICO: Wave of violence revives security concerns in Chiapas
- MEXICO: More duties for the military
CENTRAL AMERICA
- COSTA RICA: Chaves ditches security minister amid soaring violence
- HONDURAS: Castro orders intervention in prison system
- PANAMA: Seeking to address transparency concerns
- NICARAGUA: New investigation reveals cost of military loyalty
CARIBBEAN
- REGION: The role of illegal weapons in Caribbean crime
The coronation of the UK’s King Charles III has given added impetus to the move away from the British monarchy as head of state in former colonies in the Caribbean.
Security & Strategic Review - May 2023
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- The power plays behind Maduro’s corruption purge in Venezuela
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- ECUADOR: Lasso loosens gun laws in battle for political survival
- PERU: Major spending planned to boost resilience to extreme weather
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- BRAZIL: Reining in the armed forces
- CHILE: Public security shoots to top of the agenda
- ARGENTINA: Passports and pregnant Russians
MEXICO & USMCA
- MEXICO: Armed forces face scrutiny
- MEXICO: Scandal at flagship governmental body deepens
- MEXICO: Private security firm implicated in deadly fire
CENTRAL AMERICA
- HONDURAS/GUATEMALA: INCSR report highlights coca production concerns
- EL SALVADOR/REGION: Corte-IDH hearings on El Salvador case spark hopes for abortion ban easing
- GUATEMALA: Renewed focus on dire state of indigenous rights
CARIBBEAN
- REGION: Stark assessment of challenges facing Caribbean economies
- CARIBBEAN POINTERS
Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro has not exactly built a reputation as an anti-corruption crusader.
Security & Strategic Review - April 2023
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- Landmark trial reveals systemic corruption in Mexico
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- COLOMBIA: Ceasefire with Clan del Golfo suspended
- BOLIVIA: From Russia with love
- VENEZUELA: Trying to keep the migration crisis in the spotlight
- ECUADOR: Crack in the foundations
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- BRAZIL: Urban and rural violence both major challenges
- CHILE: Constitutional rewriting attempt take two
- ARGENTINA: Violence in Rosario forces new measures
MEXICO & USMCA
- MEXICO: Renewed concerns as new influx of Cuban doctors arrive
- MEXICO: Colima ranked as world’s deadliest city
CENTRAL AMERICA
- NICARAGUA: Crackdown enters new phase
- PANAMA: A violent start to the year
- EL SALVADOR: US indictment sheds more light on negotiations with gangs
CARIBBEAN
- REGION: Managing migration in the Caribbean
- GUYANA: Guyana courted on all sides
- CARIBBEAN POINTERS
A New York courtroom sealed the fall from grace of Mexico’s former drug czar, Genaro García Luna, on 21 February.
Security & Strategic Review - March 2023
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- The challenges surrounding Brazil’s Yanomami crisis
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- ECUADOR: Electoral violence rears its head
- VENEZUELA: NGO bill sparks fears of Nicaragua-style crackdown
- BOLIVIA: Infighting begins to destabilise the MAS
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- URUGUAY: Homicides soar, crime spreads
- PARAGUAY: Shadow of corruption hangs over elections
MEXICO & USMCA
- MEXICO: Maras in Mexico
- MEXICO: Corruption looms large
- MEXICO: Concerns rise over missing anti-mining activists
CENTRAL AMERICA
- HONDURAS: Wave of activist killings piles fresh pressure on Castro
- EL SALVADOR: Bukele claims victory, hails dismantling of gangs
- COSTA RICA/REGION: Costa Rica registers largest fall in transparency rankings
CARIBBEAN
- SURINAME: Frustrations boil over
- REGION: Strengthening early warning systems
- CARIBBEAN POINTERS
Distressing images of emaciated indigenous Yanomami people came to light in January, shocking Brazil and the world.
Security & Strategic Review - February 2023
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- A dire year for press freedom in Central America
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- COLOMBIA: The shifting dynamics of conflict
- REGION: Andean countries struggle with food insecurity
- ECUADOR: Lasso looks to strengthen ties with US
- BOLIVIA: Gov’t claims progress on coca eradication
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- BRAZIL: Undoing Bolsonaro’s foreign policy legacy
- CHILE: Boric’s blunders
- CHILE: Fishy business threatens national parks
MEXICO & USMCA
- MEXICO: Recapturing Ovidio Guzmán López
- MEXICO: Partial electoral reform pushed through
- MEXICO: Prison break highlights systemic flaws
CENTRAL AMERICA
- COSTA RICA/REGION: Costa Rica registers record homicides in 2022
- EL SALVADOR: Security plan enters new phase
- HAITI: An overview of the country’s main gangs
CARIBBEAN
- ANTIGUA & BARBUDA: No change in Antigua
- REGION: Capacity and resilience building for Caribbean small island states
In December, the US-based press freedom group Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) warned that 2022 was the most violent year for the press in Latin America and Caribbean for the last two decades – a situation which it says is “especially critical” in El Salvador, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and Guatemala, citing the resurgence of “caudillista [strongman] political regimes”.
Security & Strategic Review - January 2023
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- Disgraced Castillo fails to break the democratic order in Peru
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- VENEZUELA: Maduro turns on illegal gold miners
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- BRAZIL: New government faces up to extremist threats
- BRAZIL: Did the top court go too far?
- ARGENTINA: Prison sentence handed down to VP
- CHILE: Palestine policy makes waves
MEXICO & USMCA
- MEXICO: Title 42 evades lifting - again
- MEXICO: Guanajuato registers another deadly year
- MEXICO: Demands rise for improved femicide investigations
CENTRAL AMERICA
- HONDURAS: Castro gets tough on gangs
- GUATEMALA: Pérez Molina convicted
- NICARAGUA: New report highlights extent of NGO closures
CARIBBEAN
- DOMINICA: Skerrit capitalises on opposition boycott
- REGION: Dutch PM’s slavery apology fails to still calls for reparations
- GUYANA: Race continues to dominate Guyana politics
- CARIBBEAN POINTERS
Like many aspects of his presidency, Pedro Castillo’s attempt at a coup was a calamitous affair.