Stability in Latin America: A Theater Army Approach
The Government of Colombia was successful because it adapted to the unique circumstances and challenges posed by each strategic and operational variable.
El Centro
FARC Plays Dominoes as Drug Cartels Occupy Colombian Villages
FARC Plays Dominoes as Drug Cartels Occupy Colombian Villages by Matthew Bristow, Bloomberg
… The army’s failure to occupy former FARC areas left a power vacuum that has been filled almost immediately by criminal gangs, threatening the much-vaunted peace dividend following an accord to end a half-century of Marxist insurgency. If the government doesn’t deliver on pledges to help the guerrillas adapt to civilian life, former combatants may be persuaded to abandon their UN-monitored camp and join them.
While the army moved slowly, the cartels did not, occupying strategic points immediately after the guerrillas’ withdrawal. The takeover was led by the so-called Gulf Clan, according to the attorney general’s office. This cocaine-trafficking organization, also known as the Urabenos, began life in the region near the Panamanian border, but has since spread across the nation…
The cartel is offering guerrillas a monthly wage of 1.8 million pesos ($600) to switch sides, according to Martinez - more than twice what the government agreed to give them once they’ve handed over their weapons to the United Nations…
Truth, Reconciliation and the Laws of War in Colombia
This paper offers a perspective on the use of Law of Armed Conflict standards vice Criminal Law standards in the context of Columbia's conflict with the FARC and current reconciliation efforts.
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Mexican Cartel Strategic Note No. 19: +233,143 Homicides (& Disappearances) in Mexico 2007-2016
If we add the estimate of approximately 25,000 people missing and/or disappeared as reported by the Mexican government the number of people killed or disappeared since 2007 is at least 233,143.
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The Importance of Diplomacy in United States Southern Command
SWJED
Sun, 12/18/2016 - 11:23am
SOUTHCOM’s diplomatic actions are effective because it can operate at both ends of the spectrum within the realm of coercive diplomacy.
Pangas, Trickery, Intimidation, and Drug Trafficking in California
This paper assesses maritime drug smuggling by Mexican drug trafficking organizations on the coast of California with an emphasis on the use of panga boats.
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Emerald Wars: Colombia’s Multiple Conflicts Won’t End With the FARC Agreement
As past demobilization efforts show, significant segments of non-state armed actors who are supposed to disarm simply move on from ideologically inspired violence to economically driven violence.
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Third Generation Gangs Strategic Note No. 2: Tri-national Anti-gang Task Force Established to Combat Maras and Gangs in Central America’s Northern Triangle
Three nations in Central America’s Northern Triangle have implemented an integrated, multinational task force to combat the threat from gangs.
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Book Review of “Narconomics: How to Run a Drug Cartel”
Are successful international companies and drug cartels so different after all? Apparently not.
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Busted: The Micropower of Prisons in Narco-States
The 2015 prison escape of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman demonstrated the degree to which Mexican drug cartels have penetrated a key institution of state control.