Latin America

Iran’s Strategic Penetration of Latin America: Consequences for U.S. Foreign Policy and National Security

SWJED — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 06:01:31 +0000

Iran’s Strategic Penetration of Latin America: Consequences for U.S. Foreign Policy and National Security SWJED Mon, 01/20/2020 - 1:01am

This essay explores why Latin America is of paramount strategic importance for Iran, and what factors or events gave Iran access to the region so it could pursue its classic rampant penetration of other nations’ governments and cultural institutions.

The Walled City Upon a Hill: Why the US is Responsible for the Deaths of Migrants

SWJED — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 13:31:05 +0000

The Walled City Upon a Hill: Why the US is Responsible for the Deaths of Migrants SWJED Mon, 07/08/2019 - 9:31am

The US should embrace the fact that it is in part responsible for this crisis. America should do everything it can to help Central American migrants. This injustice must be corrected if the United States is to live up to its great legacy as the city upon a hill.

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Women Peace and Security: A Competitive Edge in Latin America’s Human Domain

SWJED — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 05:31:14 +0000

Women Peace and Security: A Competitive Edge in Latin America’s Human Domain SWJED Tue, 06/18/2019 - 1:31am

The institutions of the U.S. national security community have recognized, but just begun to remedy, a gap in how they interact with conflict environments: the failure to understand how gender and warfare intertwine. The 2017 Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Act provides a clarion call for operationalizing a gender perspective at each command level and in nearly all activities in the environment.

Blood and Power: The Militia-Corruption Nexus in Latin America

SWJED — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 09:16:09 +0000

Blood and Power: The Militia-Corruption Nexus in Latin America SWJED Wed, 03/27/2019 - 5:16am

Modeled on the Iranian Basij militia, the 'colectivos' have targeted critical media outlets, opposition politicians, and dissidents as well as exerted control over entire neighborhoods and towns. They have operated death squads with the full acquiescence of Venezuela’s intelligence agencies and in partnership with the military. Venezuela’s previous president, Hugo Chavez, organized these paramilitary groups to protect the gains of his self-proclaimed Bolivarian Revolution from the perceived threat of external powers. They rapidly transformed into a force to prop-up the political elite and to preserve the power of the regime.

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The Monroe Doctrine in 21st Century Great Power Competition

SWJED — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 04:58:16 +0000

The Monroe Doctrine in 21st Century Great Power Competition

After a 20-year hiatus since the fall of the Soviet Union, the 2017 National Security Strategy (NSS) and 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) identify a new great power competition as the priority security threat to the United States. Although focused on Europe with Russia, and Asia with China, this great power competition is just as applicable in Latin America where China is aggressively using the economic instrument of power.

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Third Generation Gangs Strategic Note No. 12: Brazilian Prison Gangs Attack Civil Infrastructure in Fortaleza and Other Cities in Ceará State

SWJED — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 06:04:34 +0000

Third Generation Gangs Strategic Note No. 12: Brazilian Prison Gangs Attack Civil Infrastructure in Fortaleza and Other Cities in Ceará State SWJED Thu, 01/17/2019 - 1:04am

Since 2 January, 205 criminal attacks have occurred in 46 cities in Ceará and about 360 individuals have been arrested. Ceara’s security forces have been reinforced with the assistance of the Polícia Rodoviária Federal (PRF or Federal Highway Police). The attacks have included bombings and arson directed against vehicles (including buses and school transportation), police stations, public buildings, bridges, businesses, and banks.

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Illicit Confluences: The Intersection of Cocaine and Illicit Timber in the Amazon

SWJED — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 14:20:18 +0000

Illicit Confluences: The Intersection of Cocaine and Illicit Timber in the Amazon SWJED Mon, 10/16/2017 - 10:20am

Cocaine and illicit-timber trade are linked by their profitability, industrial proximity, and smuggling convenience.

Transborder Crime, Corruption, and Sustaining Illegal Armed Groups in Latin America

SWJED — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 06:08:54 +0000

Transborder Crime, Corruption, and Sustaining Illegal Armed Groups in Latin America SWJED Sat, 07/08/2017 - 2:08am

What are some of the most pressing transborder crime issues facing LatAm with regards to armed conflict; how does corruption sustain domestic and transnational organizations and groups?

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The Importance of Diplomacy in United States Southern Command

SWJED — Sun, 18 Dec 2016 16:23:13 +0000

The Importance of Diplomacy in United States Southern Command

SOUTHCOM’s diplomatic actions are effective because it can operate at both ends of the spectrum within the realm of coercive diplomacy.

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Mexican Cartel Essays and Notes: Strategic, Operational, and Tactical

Peter J. Munson — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 19:49:37 +0000

Mexican Cartel Essays and Notes: Strategic, Operational, and Tactical

This second Small Wars Journal-El Centro anthology signifies the important debate that this new forum, focusing on the crime wars and criminal insurgencies taking place in Mexico and other regions of the Americas, is helping to generate in U.S. defense and homeland security circles. The debate comes at a time when neither of the two major U.S. presidential candidates were willingly to candidly discuss this issue and at the end of the recent Felipe Calderón administration which saw over 80,000 dead, 20,000 missing, and 200,000 internal refugees stemming from gang and cartel violence during its tenure in Mexico.

See more at Amazon.

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