Academia

This article was originally published on FORUM, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command magazine, on March 12, 2026. The synthetic drug trade, spearheaded by fentanyl and methamphetamine, has metastasized from a criminal enterprise into a complex geopolitical phenomenon, demanding an expansive, multidimensional international response. This global crisis hinges on the ready supply [ … ]

This article was originally published on the U.S. Africa Command’s Magazine ADF, on November 6, 2025. Africa loses an estimated $11.2 billion in annual revenue to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The challenge is particularly acute in West Africa, which loses up to $9.4 billion to the scourge. Illegal [ … ]

  This article was originally published on U.S. Africa Command magazine ADF, on March 11, 2026. As foreign powers sign business deals and deepen diplomatic ties in Africa, one foreign player operates mostly behind the scenes: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). “The IRGC, the regime’s military-intelligence empire, has spent [ … ]

  This article was originally published on U.S. Space Command magazine Apogee, on March 4, 2026. In the predawn darkness before Operation Epic Fury burst into public view, the first blows against Iran were struck by forces orbiting hundreds of miles above Earth. What unfolded, before the obliteration of hundreds [ … ]

This article was originally published on UPI on January 30, 2026 Much of the discussion about China's growing presence in Latin America focuses on trade and major infrastructure projects. Far less attention is paid to a darker dimension that is growing increasingly consequential: The expansion of Chinese transnational organized crime [ … ]

This article originally appeared in the National Defense University Press on January 9, 2026. In August 2022, USCGC James took evasive action to avoid a Chinese-flagged vessel that was attempting to ram the cutter in the Pacific Ocean.1 While most confrontations between the United States and China center around Taiwan [ … ]

The expansion of criminal networks such as the Tren de Aragua, originating in Venezuela and potentially allied with local factions, intensifies violence, erodes institutions, and threatens regional stability, demanding an integrated strategy of repression and international cooperation. Introduction Transnational drug trafficking represents one of the greatest threats to public order [ … ]

This article was first published in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s magazine FORUM on September 14, 2025. China-linked crime networks continue exploiting Pacific Island countries and territories, among others, to launder money and conduct other illicit activities with far-reaching consequences, according to recent investigations. The World Hongmen History and Culture Association [ … ]

This article was first published in U.S. Space Command magazine, APOGEE, on September 22, 2025. The United States Space Force is taking a multitiered approach as it prepares for a new era in space defense. With an eye toward China and Russia’s growing counterspace capabilities, the service isn’t relying solely [ … ]

This article was originally published by the U.S. Northern Command magazine, The Watch, on July 24, 2025. The military relationship between Mexico and the United States continues to strengthen. Mexico’s Secretariat of National Defense (DEFENSA), Secretariat of the Navy (MARINA), and the United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM) are continuing to [ … ]

The expansion of criminal networks originating in Venezuela, especially in their consolidation of illegal gold mining, constitutes one of the most serious contemporary threats to Brazil's sovereignty, public security, and socio-environmental integrity. Introduction Since the mid-2010s, the Brazil-Venezuela border has witnessed the firm establishment of Venezuelan Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) [ … ]

This article was first published in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s magazine FORUM on September 24, 2025. China has established a military branch to protect and enhance information dissemination while also collecting and assessing potential adversaries’ intelligence. The Information Support Force (ISF) is China’s attempt to integrate and operationalize big data [ … ]