While the World Shouts Goal, Mexico Seeks Its Disappeared
As the eyes of the world shifted to Mexico for the FIFA World Cup, the families of the thousands of disappeared tried to bring their plight to a global stage.
Colombia Debates “Total Peace” and “Total War”
The June 21 presidential runoff will feature starkly different approaches to the growing power of armed and criminal groups.
How U.S. Policy Fueled Mexico’s Cartel Crisis | Under the Shadow Season 2, Episode 10
Drugs. They have been the boogeyman across Latin America for decades. An excuse that has led to so much violence. And Trump is turning up the temperature.
The FBI’s Return to Ecuador Is Nothing New
The announcement of a permanent FBI office in Quito is the latest iteration of the U.S. using security cooperation to intervene in the country’s domestic politics.
Will the Coca Leaf Ever Lose its Stigma?
The World Health Organization’s recent refusal to reclassify coca leaf is yet another failure to understand the plant’s cultural significance.
Mexican Watchdogs: The Rise of a Critical Press since the 1980s (Review)
The political and business history of Mexico’s beleaguered critical press, caught between drug traffickers and the state, is the subject of Andrew Paxman’s new book.
An Unbowed Petro Successfully Plays the Diplomat
Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s positive meeting with Trump stands to benefit not only his coalition, but also the region writ large.
An Absurd New Chapter in the “War on Drugs”
Extrajudicial executions of Latin American fishermen and the pardon of a former Honduran President and cocaine kingpin reveal the deadly contradictions of the U.S. "War on Drugs."
Why Colombia’s First Legal Coca Lab Failed
An Indigenous Nasa community set out to offer farmers an alternative to the drug trade, but the project collapsed under the weight of U.S. pressure and international prohibitions.
U.S. Sends Troops to Southern Caribbean in New Threat to Venezuela
The action was announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called the Venezuelan government a “criminal organization."
The Militarization of Commercial Activity in Mexico
After building the Tren Maya, Mexico’s military has expanded its commercial reach in the Yucatán, with no regard for transparency or accountability.
Buscadoras in Mexico Under Threat After Grisly Discovery
News of a mass grave found by civilian search collectives has reopened an old debate about a lack of political will on the part of authorities to investigate violent crime.
