Browsing: Author: Laura Solano

Inside the Pacific’s Criminal Network: How Drug Traffickers Exploit Ecuador’s Fishing Infrastructure

Inside the Pacific’s Criminal Network: How Drug Traffickers Exploit Ecuador’s Fishing Infrastructure

The convergence between Mexican cartels and Ecuadorian criminal organizations has evolved from a system of territorial alliances into a more flexible and decentralized transnational logistics network. While Mexican cartels once relied on local groups to move cocaine from the Colombian border to Ecuadorian ports, cooperation increasingly extends along the Eastern Pacific (EPAC) maritime corridor: Ecuadorian groups provide infrastructure, vessels, and…

August 21, 2026
Inside Hezbollah’s Network in Brazil

Inside Hezbollah’s Network in Brazil

The rapid expansion of Brazil’s major criminal organizations — particularly the recently U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (Red Command) — is driving them to collaborate with actors linked to Middle Eastern terrorism, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Fueled by billions of dollars in proceeds from drug trafficking and other illicit activities, these groups increasingly rely…

August 03, 2026
China Expands Its Grip on Latin America’s Strategic Minerals Vital to Defense and Technology

China Expands Its Grip on Latin America’s Strategic Minerals Vital to Defense and Technology

China has steadily expanded its presence in Latin America’s critical minerals sector, investing in lithium, copper, and other resources that underpin advanced technologies, defense systems, semiconductors, and the global energy transition. Accompanied by investments in ports, transportation corridors, and processing facilities, Beijing’s growing footprint in the region has fueled concerns over economic security, strategic dependence, and countries’ ability to retain…

August 03, 2026
Built in Ecuador for Ecuador’s Fight: The Story Behind the Jaguar-1 Armored Vehicle

Built in Ecuador for Ecuador’s Fight: The Story Behind the Jaguar-1 Armored Vehicle

The Ecuadorian Army has advanced with the first operational unit of the Jaguar-1, a new armored personnel carrier that represents a significant step forward both in the fight against organized crime and in the development of Ecuador’s domestic defense industry. Designed and built in Ecuador, the vehicle was conceived to protect military personnel in increasingly dangerous environments characterized by ambushes,…

July 31, 2026
Soft Power and Strategic Ports: China’s Expanding Media Presence in Panama

Soft Power and Strategic Ports: China’s Expanding Media Presence in Panama

In recent years, China has paired its economic expansion with growing media and digital influence efforts, using strategic communications to strengthen its presence in key sectors such as ports, telecommunications, energy, and logistics. Through state media, embassies, social media platforms, and local partners, Beijing promotes narratives that portray China as a reliable partner and a driver of development. These campaigns…

July 31, 2026
Outer Space Is a Domain That Requires Cooperation
Outer Space Is a Domain That Requires Cooperation

Outer Space Is a Domain That Requires Cooperation

As Colombia consolidates its capabilities in the space domain, Colombian Aerospace Force Colonel Eliana Mallarino has been among the officers driving that process. As director of Space Capabilities of the Space Operations Command, she works to integrate space assets in support of security and defense operations, from monitoring illicit activities to responding to natural disasters. Throughout her career, she has…

July 30, 2026
Ports Under Pressure: Ecuador’s Offensive to Reclaim Puerto Bolívar

Ports Under Pressure: Ecuador’s Offensive to Reclaim Puerto Bolívar

Commercial ports across Latin America and the Caribbean have become one of the primary battlegrounds in the fight against transnational organized crime. In Ecuador, one of the clearest examples is Puerto Bolívar, a strategic hub for banana exports that has also emerged as one of the main departure points for cocaine shipments bound for Europe. To regain control, the Ecuadorian…

July 29, 2026
Argentina’s Push to Strengthen Its Aerospace Capabilities
Beyond Crime: The Security Challenges Facing Latin America and the Caribbean
Coordinating Reconstruction: Lessons from Colombia’s Earthquake Recovery

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 international partners can mobilize specialized teams, resources, and humanitarian assistance.…

July 10, 2026
China’s Strategic Infrastructure in Cuba: Surveillance, Intelligence, and Regional Power

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 a “massive internet outage in Havana.” These incidents point to…

July 10, 2026