South America

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How China’s Space Projects Are Prompting Greater Scrutiny Across South America

Governments across South America are taking a closer look at Chinese-backed space and scientific infrastructure projects as concerns grow over their potential dual-use applications, transparency, and implications for national sovereignty. Recent decisions in Argentina and Chile to halt or cancel major Chinese observatory initiatives reflect a broader trend: Advanced infrastructure once viewed primarily through a scientific or commercial lens is…

Central America

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Strategic Infrastructure and Accountability: Panama Reassesses Chinese Megaprojects

The explosion and fire beneath the Bridge of the Americas in April, which killed one person, injured two others, and forced the temporary closure of one of Panama’s vital transportation routes, underscored the importance of resilient strategic infrastructure and alternative routes capable of sustaining mobility and logistical continuity during an emergency. The incident also revived debate over delays in the…

Caribbean

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Spotlight Interviews

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Academia

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Branching Out: Latin American Drug Cartels Expand into Other Illegal Schemes

This article was originally published in U.S. Northern Command’s Magazine The Watch, on July 2, 2026. Latin America’s transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) have been diversifying, finding new ways to make money in addition to producing, selling, and transporting illicit drugs. The many tentacles of their businesses extend to human trafficking and migration; illegal logging, fishing and gold mining; protection rackets;…

Special Report

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Ecuador at the Crossroads of Transnational Crime: Violence, Criminal Reconfiguration, and Regional Challenges – PART II

For decades, Ecuador was perceived as an exception in a region plagued by drug trafficking, armed violence, and criminal capture of the state. While neighboring countries faced open wars between cartels and state forces, Ecuador seemed to remain on the sidelines of these dynamics. That image began to slowly crack and finally collapsed in January 2024, when President Daniel Noboa…

Photo Galleries

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