News Analysis

Mexico Media Pact Marks PR Battle in Drug War

After Mexico’s biggest media organizations agreed last week to follow guidelines for reporting on organized crime, InSight explores why the…

Terrorism and the US-Mexico Border

The San Antonio Express News reports that a Somalian, once based in Mexico, is suspected of smuggling members…

Cable Suggests Mexican Army May Have Worked with Juarez Paramilitary Group

With officials in Ciudad Juarez already under fire from human rights groups for their allegedly heavy-handed tactics, a 2009 diplomatic…

Mafia War Feared in Cali, as Rastrojos Face New Competition

A spike of killings in Cali is raising concern that the city is descending into a new spiral of mafia-related…

Refugee Council USA: Living on the Edge - Colombian Refugees in Panama and Ecuador

This report by the Refugee Council USA, a coalition of NGOs, focuses on the situation of the many Colombian refugees in…

Small Wars Journal: Panama: Is Restructuring the Razor to Cut Out Corruption?

Anthony Scheidel analyzes the reorganization of Panama's security forces and other governmental institutions. These reforms, which began in 2008, were intended to tackle corruption and…

Under, Over, Through: Crossing the US-Mexico Border Fence

A new short film “Does the Wall Work?” answers its own question, compiling arresting footage of migrants and traffickers breaching…

Money Laundering Threatens Colombia's Elections

Colombia's government warned that drug traffickers may launch fake campaigns in the October local elections in order to launder…

Corrupt Cops in Peru Remain On Duty

There are over 2,000 Peruvian anti-drug police operating in the East Andes, where most of Peru's cocaine is produced. Dogged…

WikiLeaks on the Chavez-Correa-FARC connection

According to a new cable released by WikiLeaks via El Espectador, the government of former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe planned to…

Fake Dollar Haul: Colombia's Other Illegal Export

The discovery of a forgery operation in Cali with the capacity to produce up to three million fake…

Drug Lord's Family Claim Prison Mistreatment

In stark contrast to recent stories about Mexican drug lords enjoying luxury lifestyles in their prison cells, the family of…