Russia in Latin America: A Challenge to the U.S.
With global attention focused on Russia’s role in the Syria quagmire, the media is barely covering Vladimir Putin’s aggressive maneuvers in Ukraine, let alone his […] More
Latin America
Colombia: Peace Deal in Jeopardy
The plan to sign a peace agreement early next year to end the more than 50-year civil war in Colombia appears to be in jeopardy. […] More
A Right Turn in Argentina
Argentina was no stranger to Latin America’s so-called “left turn” during the past two decades, but recent developments suggest that saga may be coming to […] More
Why the Venezuelan Elections Matter
The upcoming Venezuelan parliamentary elections on December 6 are taking place in a complicated political scenario. Venezuela has been going through a very important social […] More
Illicit Trafficking in Latin America
Major and growing illicit trafficking networks link Latin America to Europe, Asia, and North America. Through these networks, illicit drugs and trafficked human beings flow […] More
The Terror-Crime Nexus
The reach of Latin American illicit trafficking networks extends well beyond the region, according to former U.S. diplomat Celina Realuyo, now a professor at the […] More
Mapping Criminal Networks
Two assumptions about transnational crime disrupt the design of effective security policies worldwide: Assuming that corruption is mainly an economic issue in which private agents […] More
The Threat to the U.S.
With over 30 years working as a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent, Michael Vigil has an extensive understanding of illicit trafficking networks. The former DEA […] More
On Post-Conflict Colombia
Last month, The Cipher Brief published a feature commentary on the prospects for peace in Colombia. This month, we continue that conversation with Frank Mora, […] More
Elections in Argentina and Guatemala
Democracy has become the most accepted form of governance over the last three decades across Latin America. However, opinion polls, as we saw in Latinobarómetro’s […] More
Will Peace Talks Succeed in Colombia?
Colombia is not a “typical” Latin American country. It diverges from common views of the region in ways that are interesting and important. It […] More
The Energy Industry’s Role
Juan Manuel Santos’ administration and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) kicked off peace negotiations in October 2012. The chosen methodology (“nothing is negotiated […] More
Devil’s in the Details
There should be no doubt that the current round of negotiations between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is a […] More
Better for Business
Colombia is not a “typical” Latin American country. It diverges from common views of the region in ways that are interesting and important. It […] More
Review: Netflix’s Narcos
Pablo Escobar’s childhood dream was to be a millionaire by the time he was 22. It is unclear if he met that specific goal, but […] More
Chinese Expansion in Latin America
Latin America and the Caribbean’s (LAC) relationship with China has passed through many stages in the last few decades. It is only after the 1990s […] More
Lessons from Cuba and Mexico
China’s rise has exerted a well-documented economic impact in Latin America. South American economists worry about the loss of value-adding industries as raw materials like […] More