Latin American Security & Strategic Review
Security & Strategic Review - December 2019
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- Dengue epidemic on the march
Andean Countries
- Femicides declared a national priority in Bolivia
- The rise of child prostitution in Colombia
- Violence in Venezuela trending down, but still high
- Cocaine production still rising in Peru
Brazil & Southern Cone
- Uruguay election shaped by public security concerns
- Chilean security forces face human rights abuse allegations
- Concerns over setbacks to anti-corruption fight
Mexico
- Mexico City’s new head of security faces reputational challenge
- Guerrero poppy farmers put pressure on government for promised aid
- Pemex cyberattack raises alarm
- Insecurity mounts in Mexico’s maritime areas
Central America & Caribbean
- Security concerns mount as UN ends its peacekeeping presence
- New report sheds light on forced migration of Nicaraguans to Costa Rica
- Demands for electoral reform lead to violence
An explosion in the number of dengue infections is causing concern in many Latin American countries, and the mosquito-borne disease looks set to move into new areas.
Security & Strategic Review - November 2019
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- Region to tackle wildlife trafficking
Andean Countries
- Bilateral tensions rise over Venezuelan links to Colombian paramilitaries
- A 180-degree turn: Ecuador’s rapprochement with the US
- Ecuador’s prisons crisis: a ticking time bomb
Brazil & Southern Cone
- New initiative to fight violent crime in Brazil
- Chile’s drought threatens insecurity
- Paraguay reproaches international community over escape of wanted criminals
Mexico
- López Obrador’s security policy is failing
- Legal cannabis on the way
- People smuggling link to corruption underscored
Central America & Caribbean
- Guatemala’s Cicig shuts its doors
- Belize pleases US with Taiwan policy
- New report points to the Caribbean’s “extreme vulnerability” to climate change
In October, Peru hosted the First High Level Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade in the Americas, the first such event focused on wildlife trafficking in the region.
Security & Strategic Review - October 2019
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- Anti-corruption fight faces new tests across the region
Andean Countries
- Colombia’s armed insurgents: a look at the numbers
- Controversy in Peru over Venezuelan criminals
- Going after coca in Peru
- Coca cultivation in Bolivia down
Brazil & Southern Cone
- Brazil’s new crime statistics highlight public security challenges
- Public security role on the cards for Paraguay’s military
- Large drug seizures trouble Uruguay
- Argentina deepens defence ties with China
Mexico
- Claiming success in fighting huachicoleo
- New Conadic director outlines fresh approach
- ‘Glitter revolution’ demands end to gender violence
Central America & Caribbean
- Internal displacement in the Northern Triangle
- Venezuelan migration to the English-speaking Caribbean
- Russia courts Suriname
- Trinidad still at odds with the US
Corruption is a massive issue in Latin America and is responsible for many of the problems that continue to affect the continent.
Security & Strategic Review - September 2019
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- Bukele’s initial moves
Andean Countries
- LGBTI rights in the Andean – a mixed balance sheet
- Rise in criminalisation of indigenous peoples in the Andean region
Brazil & Southern Cone
- Hezbollah targeted by Argentina’s new terrorism registry
- The Brazilian Amazon, fertile ground for crime
- Chile brings in the army to fight drug trafficking
- Alleged EPP attack raises security questions in Paraguay
Central America & Caribbean
- Struggling to address dengue, especially Honduras
- US reinforces its support for Guyana
- Trinidad’s UNC plays race card
- Internecine conflict wracks DR’s ruling party ahead of elections
Mexico
- Failing Venus
- Focus on internally displaced
- Seeking a pact with criminal groups?
El Salvador’s new President Nayib Bukele took office on 1 June promising, as his predecessors before him, to address the notorious security crisis afflicting the country which registered 3,094 homicides in 2018, the highest in Central America.
Security & Strategic Review - August 2019
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- Human trafficking in LAC: a multi-faceted crime
Andean Countries
- Is Ecuador fighting a losing battle against illegal mining?
- Colombia’s homicides up for the first time in eight years
- Divisions between Bolivia's cocaleros again laid bare
- Calls to address femicides in the Andean region
Brazil & Southern Cone
- Argentina flirts with facial recognition technology
- Regional bodies join forces to combat arms trafficking
- Attempting to dismantle Rio’s ‘parallel state’
- The Italian Mafia in the Southern Cone
Mexico
- Can Mexico’s Guardia Nacional solve the country’s public security crisis?
- El Chapo out of play but violent game continues
- Pemex: not just an economic problem
- Rising extortion in Mexico City
Central America & Caribbean
- Nicaragua’s amnesty law attracts condemnation
- Concerns about effectiveness of Trinidad’s anti-gang legislation
- Jamaica’s continuing reliance on states of emergency
In 2013, the United Nations (UN) designated 30 July as the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, with the aim of raising awareness of the situation of the victims of human trafficking, and of the promotion and protection of their rights.
Security & Strategic Review - July 2019
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- A not so peaceful region
Andean Countries
- Colombian teachers strike for a better education system
- An assessment of Bolivia’s China strategy
Brazil & Southern Cone
- Prison massacre in Brazil highlights need for reform – but how?
- Crisis in Paraguay's penitentiary system exposed
- Police corruption case opens can of worms in Uruguay
Mexico
- Migration problems set to intensify
- Kidnappings put López Obrador under pressure
Central America & Caribbean
- Honduras: Hernández back under pressure over drug allegations
- Barbados: Government promises new anti-corruption laws
- Guyana looking to update security pact with Brazil
The world is a less peaceful place than it was a decade ago, but, for the first time in five years, the global peace index (GPI) registered an improvement, according to the Global Peace Index 2019 report compiled by the Australia-based Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP).
Security & Strategic Review - June 2019
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- Grappling with the CJNG
Andean Countries
- Peru: Consolidating fight against illegal mining in the Amazon
- Bolivia: Morales seeks to downplay police scandal
Southern Cone
- Brazil: Copa America draws attention to football violence
- Region: Transnational crime in the tri-border area
Central America & Caribbean
- Panama: Cortizo’s manifesto
- Region: Committing to common rules
- POINTERS
The authorities in Mexico and the US are grappling with what in recent years has emerged as the most powerful transnational drug trafficking organisation (DTO) – the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).
Security & Strategic Review - May 2019
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- Crimes against humanity in Venezuela
Southern Cone
- Brazil: Developing the defence industry
- Brazil: Homicide figures give glimmer of hope
- Chile: Plans for safer streets
Mexico
- Mexico: Armed groups in border area on the increase
Central America & Caribbean
- Haiti: UNSC votes to end Minujusth
- Costa Rica: Alvarado points to more security success
- Trinidad & Tobago: The deepening effects of the Venezuela crisis
- Belize: Next stop the ICJ
On the same day that Venezuela’s intelligence force (Sebin) appears to have resorted to new underhand tactics to prevent National Assembly (AN) members from entering the congress building, Amnesty International accused the government led by Nicolás Maduro of committing crimes against humanity.
Security & Strategic Review - April 2019
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- Debate over National Guard continues
Region
- Venezuela-Cuba: US intensifies action against ‘CubaZuela’
Southern Cone
- Brazil: Uncovering the power of Rio de Janeiro’s militia
- Chile: Taking in Venezuelan deserters
Mexico
- Mexico: Will AMLO avoid the Trump trap?
- Mexico: Violence still on the increase
Central America & Caribbean
- Guatemala: Doubts over US military cooperation
- Suriname: Border uncertainties
On 13 March the Yucatán state legislature approved the law creating the National Guard, meaning that the new law enforcement body now has the approval of the federal congress and all 32 state legislatures.
Security & Strategic Review - March 2019
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- Is the region slipping back on Law and Order?
Andean Countries
- Peru: Cracking down on illegal mining camps
Southern Cone
- Brazil: The anti-crime package: ambitious or ineffective?
- Brazil: PCC leadership in question
- Paraguay: Commitment to combating money laundering under question
- Uruguay: Plebiscite on crime draws closer
Mexico
- Mexico: The devil is in the detail
- Mexico: The killing of Samir Flores
- Mexico: INAI demands airport documents
Caribbean & Central America
- Region: Fighting to keep youths out of a life of crime
- El Salvador: Bukele’s security plans
- Cuba-Venezuela: ‘Cuba-zuela’ the focus of US ire
- POINTERS
A new rule of law index (RLI) shows that some of Latin America’s largest countries – including Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia – are slipping back in the world ranking.
Security & Strategic Review - February 2019
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- Populism against crime: where are Brazil and Mexico heading?
Andean Countries
- Venezuela: Staring down the barrel
- Colombia-Venezuela: Venezuelan women – victims of human trafficking networks in Colombia
- Ecuador: Xenophobic attacks against Venezuelans spark concerns
- Venezuela-Region: Resurgent diseases in Venezuela pose health risk for region
Southern Cone
- Chile: Government commits to improving cybersecurity
Mexico
- Mexico: Battle for the National Guard
- Mexico: The war on drugs is over. Really?
- Mexico: El Chapo’s trial draws to a close
Central America & Caribbean
- Costa Rica: Alvarado hails drop in homicides
- Caricom: Jamaica and Guyana at odds with Trinidad over Venezuela
By the size of their populations and economies Brazil and Mexico are the two Latin American giants.
Security & Strategic Review - January 2019
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- The never-ending wall
Andean Countries
- Colombia: Government dialogue remains far off as ELN ceasefire ends
- Colombia: Condemnation from the US as coca production reaches all-time high
- Venezuela: Chipping away at Maduro
Southern Cone
- Brazil: Rio de Janeiro: life after military intervention
- Brazil: Criminal gangs drive outbreak of violence in Ceará
- Chile: Unrest returns to the Araucanía area
Mexico
- Mexico: Crackdown on the huachicoleros
- Mexico: National Guard debate continues
Caribbean & Central America
- El Salvador: Sánchez Cerén claims security progress; doubts persist
- Guatemala: Constitutional crisis on the way
- Guyana: Venezuela escalates its challenge to Guyana
- POINTERS
As this issue went to press the US government remained in partial shutdown over the stand-off between President Donald Trump and the Democratic Party majority in the House of Representatives over the funding of the proposed border wall.