South America

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International Cooperation Strengthens Counterdrug Response in the Caribbean

The Caribbean Sea’s growing role in cocaine trafficking routes oused by transnational criminal organizations highlights the need to move beyond isolated national responses toward a multinational strategy that integrates military, air and maritime, intelligence, and law enforcement capabilities. The challenge is compounded by persistently high levels of coca cultivation in Colombia. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and…

Central America

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Following the Money: Guatemala Joins Hemispheric Push Against Organized Crime Finances

The fight against transnational organized crime in Latin America and the Caribbean is entering a new phase. Beyond capturing kingpins or seizing drugs, governments are increasingly focusing their efforts on identifying, tracing, and dismantling the financial structures that sustain criminal organizations. That shift was reflected in Guatemala with the September entry into force of the Comprehensive Law for the Prevention…

Caribbean

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Caribbean Integrates Citizen Reporting into Regional Intelligence

Criminal organizations operating in the Caribbean exploit maritime routes, illicit markets, and multiple jurisdictions to move drugs, weapons, and other illegal goods. Against networks that operate across national borders, information provided by local communities can become an operational asset when it is protected, evaluated, and connected with data from other countries. With that goal in mind, the Caribbean Community Implementation…

Spotlight Interviews

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Academia

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Advanced Capabilities Needed to Counter China-Russia Space Weapon Cooperation

This article was originally published on U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s Magazine Forum, on August 3, 2026. China and Russia are expanding cooperation on space capabilities to degrade, disrupt or destroy military satellites as well as commercial constellations such as SpaceX’s Starlink. Beijing and Moscow are sharing expertise, coordinating policies and investing in counterspace options that go beyond traditional anti-satellite (ASAT) missiles.…

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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