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Latin America’s Security Crisis Is a Political Problem, Too
Crime and politics are becoming more entangled, undermining the region’s stability, an expert writes.
![Salazar, 42, is Ecuador's first career prosecutor to ascend to the top job.](https://americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AQ0224_PROFILE-300x183.jpg)
Ecuador’s Crusading Attorney General Is Facing Her Toughest Challenge Yet
Diana Salazar’s investigations have taken down major figures. But a wave of drug-related violence is changing what defending the rule of law looks like.
![Ecuadorian soldiers carry out an anti-gang operation in Guayaquil on Feb. 5.](https://americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JIEcuador-300x200.jpg)
Ecuador’s War on Drug Gangs: A Mixed Picture So Far
President Noboa has deployed more than 30,000 soldiers and policemen to contain the chaos. While homicides have fallen, kidnappings and extortion remain high.
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AQ Podcast: How to Think About Latin America’s Security Crisis
An expert with firsthand knowledge discusses new crime dynamics and ways forward.
![More and more migrants from Venezuela and other countries are passing through Panama's in the Darien Gap.](https://americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GettyImages-1243964111-1-300x200.jpg)
The Predatory Economy Thriving in Panama’s Darién Gap
With millions on the move, businesses and criminal groups are turning big profits with destructive consequences.
![In August, a wave of violence swept Ciudad Juárez and several cities in Mexico as President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has increasingly militarized security.](https://americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/GettyImages-1242459021-300x205.jpg)
Is Mexico’s Security Policy Backfiring?
Criminal groups seem emboldened despite the militarization of security.
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AQ Podcast: Crisis on Venezuela’s Border
Caracas-based analyst Phil Gunson puts an outbreak of violence into Venezuela’s political context.
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School’s Out in Most of Latin America. Gangs Are Thrilled.
With 97% of Latin American kids out of class, some criminal groups see a bonanza in recruitment.
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Sponsored Content: What COVID-19 Revealed About Illicit Trade
There is hope for combating illicit trade in 2021, but we have to act together.
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Nuevo en AQ: ¿El gran ganador de la pandemia? El crimen organizado
La COVID-19 ha sido fantástica para el crimen organizado. Una mejor coordinación internacional podría mitigar al menos parte de los daños.
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Novo na AQ: Quem saiu ganhando nesta pandemia? O crime organizado.
A COVID-19 tem sido ótima para o crime organizado. Um aumento da coordenação internacional poderia aliviar pelo menos parte dos danos.
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Entrevista: Seguindo a pista do dinheiro
Para combater o crime organizado o caminho é a descapitalização.
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Entrevista: La Pionera Lucha de Brasil Contra el Lavado de Dinero
Si quieres combatir al crimen organizado, incauta sus ganancias.
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Una amenaza que no puede ser abordada por separado
Combatir al crimen organizado requiere de la cooperación entre los países del hemisferio.
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Uma ameaça que não pode ser combatida de forma isolada
O combate ao crime organizado requer cooperação entre todos os países do hemisfério.