The last year has seen criminal groups turn political chaos to their advantage throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. InSight Crime’s investigators break down the year’s biggest stories from across the region.
In Colombia, President Gustavo Petro’s Total Peace plan has stalled in the face of a highly complex criminal landscape. In Ecuador, a presidential election took place as the country continued to soar up Latin America’s homicide rankings. Policies to protect the Amazon rainforest in Brazil and Colombia led to a decrease in deforestation this year, but criminal groups’ growing involvement in environmental crime will challenge future initiatives. And US efforts to build a common front against the fentanyl crisis have been met with a less-than-positive response in Mexico.
Series Chapters
GameChangers 2023: Through the Looking Glass
The year 2023 was like staring through the looking glass, with Latin America and the Caribbean becoming even more surreal than usual. Nations thought to be safe suddenly…
GameChangers 2023: Guatemala Election Upset Sparks Establishment Meltdown
Guatemala’s political establishment was shaken to its core this year when an unwelcome outsider, Bernardo Arévalo, defied the odds to win the 2023 presidential elections.
GameChangers 2023: US-Mexico Tensions Undermine the Fight Against Fentanyl
The differences in how the United States and Mexico approach the issue of fentanyl trafficking came into stark relief over the past year.
In April 2023, US prosecutors…
GameChangers 2023: Unintended Consequences for Colombia’s ‘Total Peace’
President Gustavo Petro’s “Total Peace” policy had a difficult 2023. Not only did it fail to persuade the country’s most important armed groups to lay down their arms,…
GameChangers 2023: A Win Against Deforestation in the Amazon, For Now
Between the decrease in forest loss in Colombia and Brazil and the Amazonian summit, this year represented a small victory in the battle against deforestation in the region.…
GameChangers 2023: Top 5 Criminal Newsmakers
Five groups have stood out in InSight Crime’s coverage during 2023. We analyze why, and what they tell us about criminal developments in Latin America and the Caribbean…
GameChangers 2023: Ecuador Loses Its Grip on Crime
In 2023, Ecuador will crack the top three most violent countries in Latin America. Must the country learn to live with organized crime?
GameChangers 2023: The Cocaine Flash-to-Bang in 2024
Coca prices have collapsed in parts of Colombia amid record hectares of cultivation. Could oversupply do what years of eradication have failed to achieve, prompting coca farmers to…
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