Beyond Crime: The Security Challenges Facing Latin America and the Caribbean
Over the past several decades, security in Latin America and the Caribbean has seen both progress and setbacks in the face of increasingly sophisticated threats. While some countries have made significant progress in reducing violence, others continue to face the expansion of illicit economies and transnational criminal organizations. In an [ … ]
Trusted Technology: Taiwan and the United States Strengthen Latin America’s Digital Security
Artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure are becoming increasingly important components of national security in Latin America. As government modernize public services and expand digital networks, concerns about cyberattacks, data protection, technological dependence, and the security of critical systems are moving closer to the center of national security planning. [ … ]
Operation Neptuno Delivers Decisive Blow to Narcotraffickers in Eastern Pacific
In a powerful display of international cooperation, the United States, Guatemala, and Mexico recently joined forces to execute interdiction operations as part of Operation Neptuno, a targeted effort against maritime smuggling routes in the Eastern Pacific. The operation sends a clear message to narcotrafficking networks: The international community is united [ … ]
Hemispheric Capabilities Strengthen Earthquake Response in Venezuela
The earthquake that struck northern Venezuela on June 24 triggered a broad mobilization of hemispheric humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) capabilities, with urban search and rescue teams, medical personnel, aircraft, search dogs, emergency supplies, communications specialists, and logistical support deployed from countries across the Americas. More than a collection [ … ]
Restoring State Presence in Cauca: Colombia’s Long-Term Security Challenge
Colombia’s department of Cauca remains one of the country’s most challenging security environments, where guerrilla factions born from the remnants of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) continue to exploit coca-producing areas, strategic trafficking corridors, and difficult terrain despite sustained government security operations. The department sits at a critical [ … ]
Coordinating Reconstruction: Lessons from Colombia’s Earthquake Recovery
Venezuela is facing one of the greatest challenges in its recent history after two earthquakes measuring above magnitude 7 struck just seconds apart. As search-and-rescue operations continue, the disaster is testing not only a nation's ability to respond to a catastrophe of this scale but also how quickly regional and [ … ]
China’s Strategic Infrastructure in Cuba: Surveillance, Intelligence, and Regional Power
Since May, Cuba has seen several protests over the country’s deepening energy crisis and the rolling blackouts that continue to disrupt daily life. Independent journalists have also reported repeated internet outages, even after electricity service has been restored. “The regime cuts communications,” journalist Mag Jorge Castro wrote on X, describing [ … ]
Jamaica’s MOCA: Leading the Fight Against Cyber-Enabled Transnational Organized Crime
For years, the public image of Jamaica’s fraud problem has been dominated by one phrase: lottery scamming. But according to the Director General of Jamaica’s Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA), Colonel (R.) Desmond Edwards, that characterization no longer reflects the scale, sophistication, or operational realities of the threat [ … ]
The Global Reassessment of Confucius Institutes: Lessons for Latin America
Created in 2004 to promote Chinese language instruction and cultural exchange, Confucius Institutes have become one of the most visible instruments of China’s soft power. In 2009, Li Changchun, then a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politburo, described them as “an important part of China's overseas propaganda apparatus.” [ … ]
Gen. Reynoso: ‘Space is the New Frontier for our Armed Forces’
With nearly three decades of service in the Dominican Air Force and extensive experience in joint operations, intelligence, and international cooperation, Brigadier General Jonás Reynoso Barrera, executive director of the National Antiterrorism Directorate (DNA), has played a key role in strengthening the country’s defense and security capabilities. His career includes [ … ]
How the US Supports International Earthquake Relief Efforts in Venezuela
As Venezuela transitions from the search and rescue phase to the long process of recovery following the devastating June earthquake, one of the greatest challenges is no longer delivering aid but coordinating the reconstruction effort effectively. The scale of the disaster underscores the magnitude of the task. The United Nations [ … ]
