Tag: Organized Crime
Covid-19 is making things worse for Latin Americans
Cristina Camacho, a first-year International Development concentrator at SAIS, offers the following account of a February 17 even on “How Organized Crime is Evolving in Mexico and Central America” hosted by the Americas Society/Council of the Americas (AS/COA). The video is here.
Panelists:
• Luis Guillermo Solis, former President of Costa Rica, current Interim Director at the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center at Florida International University
• Andrew Selee, President of the Migration Policy Institute
• Sonja Wolf, Assistant Professor with the Drug Policy Program at the Center for Economic Research and Teaching in Mexico
• Cecilia Tornaghi (Moderator), Managing Editor at Americas Quarterly
Key Takeaways:
• Criminal groups, specifically cartels in Mexico and street gangs in Central America, have thrived during the pandemic.
• As law enforcement is otherwise occupied and courts slowed down, gangs and cartels are recruiting, loansharking, and profiting off extortion, drug trafficking, and smuggling migrants to the US.
• Local governments have been unable or unwilling to tackle violence. Institutions are weak. Corruption and impunity are rampant.
• Though homicide rates have decreased, this is only one measure of violence. In some cases, a decrease in homicide rates is a result of back-door deals with gangs, which may have electoral benefits for political leaders.
• The Biden administration should balance working directly with counterpart Presidents and with civil society/nonprofit organizations on the ground.
• The Biden administration’s efforts to reform asylum mechanisms and legal pathways to migration will take time to implement. In the short-term, migration will rise if migrants are not turned back at the border.
Criminal groups have thrived during COVID-19
While economies are failing, unemployment is rising. Communities are regressing into poverty. Local and transnational criminal organizations have thrived. This has been due to several factors. Law enforcement is concerned with other tasks (such as enforcing curfews), more people are unemployed and increasingly likely to join criminal groups or turn to them for loans, and courts are closed or delayed due to lockdowns.
This contributes to already alarming levels of impunity and signals to criminals that they won’t face legal repercussions. Criminal groups have also taken to handing out food baskets and assistance to local communities. These dynamics raise questions about the health of local institutions, strength of community organizations, and the capacity of local security forces.
There has also been increased demand for human smugglers, as people seek to migrate to the US. Smugglers have benefitted from this rise in demand and have increased their prices accordingly. Selee explained that that The US-Mexico border has been closed under Title 42, which allows public health concerns as a reason to expel migrants and asylum-seeker. This enables smugglers to charge higher prices and extort migrants stuck along the way to the U.S.
Interpol has warned criminal groups will try to traffic COVID-19 vaccines; panelists agreed that this is not unlikely.
Challenges for local governments
Though many leaders in Central America have learned to speak the language of democracy, anti-corruption, and human rights, their institutions are not equipped to tackle investigations or properly combat violence. Some leaders are benefitting from using this discourse but not effecting real change. For example, anti-corruption commissions in Honduras and El Salvador have been ineffective compared to the one in Guatemala. Homicide rates have decreased, but Wolf cautions that this positive trend is not an indicator that overall violence has decreased. Truces with street gangs have allowed the state more access to certain areas needing public goods and services, but this also has clear electoral benefits for leaders. Local leaders must strengthen institutions and combat corruption and impunity.
Challenges for the Biden Administration
Panelists agreed that President Biden must shift his focus from Trump’s hands-off approach, toward addressing root causes of violence in Central America and Mexico, including institutional strength and trustworthiness, rule of law, and providing citizens with a perceived opportunity for a viable future.
Another challenge for the administration will be to decide when to partner with civil society groups or nonprofits rather than foreign governments. According to Selee, during his time as Vice-President, Biden favored working with foreign presidents. However, many of them are now accused of corruption. Biden needs tot know when to work with other partner organizations on important issues where governments may not be willing to contribute, such as anti-corruption.
The Biden administration plans to include rebuilding asylum application mechanisms (making them more accessible) and increasing the availability of work visas (such as H2A visas) for Central Americans. In 2019, 260,000 H2A visas were granted to Mexican workers, but only 9,000 to Central Americans. Adding opportunities for legal migration would help decrease irregular migration. In the short-term and to discourage peaks in migration, Selee advocated continuing to turn back migrants at the border as the only effective way of discouraging migration.
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Peace Picks: October 29 – November 4
- What Really Works to Prevent Election Violence? | Monday, October 29 | 9:30 am – 11:30 am | United States Institute of Peace | 2301 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20037 | Register Here
One in five elections worldwide is marred by violence—from burned ballot boxes to violent suppression of peaceful rallies, to assassinations of candidates. A USIP study of programs to prevent violence suggests focusing on improving the administration and policing of elections. The study, of elections in Kenya and Liberia, found no evidence that programs of voter consultation or peace messaging were effective there. Join USIP to discuss this important new report.
Governments and international organizations invest in many programs—youth engagement, election observation, police training, and civic education—to help poorly governed states or developing democracies hold credible elections. USIP’s new report, “What Works in Preventing Election Violence,” is a piece of the evidence needed to learn which programs work and which do not. Elections experts from Kenya, Liberia and leading U.S. pro-democracy institutions will review the findings of this report against their own experiences. Take part in the conversation on Twitter with #ElectingPeace.
Speakers
Pat Merloe
Senior Associate and Director for Election Programs, NDI
John Tomaszewski
Africa Director, IRI
Joshua Changwony
Deputy Executive Secretary, Constitution and Reform Education Consortium (CRECO, Kenya)
Oscar Bloh
Chairman, Elections Coordination Committee (ECC, Liberia)
Inken von Borzyskowski
Assistant Professor, Florida State University
Jonas Claes, facilitator
Senior Program Officer, Center for Applied Conflict Transformation, USIP
Debra Liang-Fenton, facilitator
Senior Program Officer, Center for Applied Conflict Transformation, USIP
2. Thinking Strategically About Human Rights Challenges in Negotiations with North Korea | Monday, October 29 | 10 am – 11 am | Heritage Foundation | 214 Massachusetts Ave NE Washington, DC 20002 | Register Here
Prior to the summit between President Trump and Kim Jong-un, the international community underscored the need to raise human rights concerns in negotiations with North Korea. Despite President Trump’s focus on North Korea’s human rights challenges at the State of the Union and notable meetings with North Korean refugees, human rights were seemingly left out of the conversation in Singapore. Since that time, the U.S. government has said little on human rights issues and reports from South Korea indicate that human rights are not a priority there either. The prospect of a second summit between Trump and Kim is an opportunity where the administration can and should express concerns over Kim Jong-un’s egregious human rights track record. Join us for a conversation on how and why raising human rights issues advances U.S. national security objectives.
Featuring
Jung Pak, Ph.D.
Senior Fellow and SK-Korea Foundation Chair in Korea Studies, Brookings Institution
Greg Scarlatoiu
Executive Director, The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
Dan Aum
Director of the Washington, D.C. Office , National Bureau for Asian Research
Hosted by:
Olivia Enos
Policy Analyst, Asian Studies Center
3. Unraveling the Web: Dismantling Transnational Organized Crime Networks in the Americas | Tuesday, October 30 | 1 pm – 3:35 pm | American Enterprise Institute, Cohosted by Federalist Society | 1789 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20036 | Register Here
The United States and its neighbors face an ever-evolving threat of transnational organized crime. Last year, AEI released a tactical report on how US policymakers and law enforcement can target this threat. The Trump administration has been proactive in confronting threat networks close to home in the Americas. However, there is much more work to be done to dismantle criminal syndicates. How can policymakers bolster regional security cooperation, help local economies affected by these groups, and ensure US agencies have the resources they need for this fight?
Join AEI and the Federalist Society for a discussion on the Trump administration’s options in the fight against transnational organized crime in the Americas. Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing Marshall Billingslea will deliver opening remarks, followed by panel discussions.
Agenda
12:45 PM
Registration
1:00 PM
Opening remarks:
Marshall Billingslea, US Treasury Department
1:35 PM
Q&A
1:45 PM
Panel discussion I
Participants:
Douglas Farah, IBI Consultants
Emanuele Ottolenghi, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Celina Realuyo, National Defense University
Moderator:
Roger F. Noriega, AEI
2:20 PM
Q&A
2:30 PM
Break
2:35 PM
Panel discussion II
Participants:
William Brownfield, US Department of State (former)
Clay R. Fuller, AEI
Patrick Hovakimian, Department of Justice
Welby Leaman, Walmart
Moderator:
James Dunlop, Jones Day
3:25 PM
Q&A
3:35 PM
Adjournment
4. The Protection of Civilians in U.S. Partnered Operations | Tuesday, October 30 | 3 pm – 4:30 pm | Center for Strategic and International Studies in partnership with the Center for Civilians in Conflict and InterAction| 1616 Rhode Island Avenue, NW Washington DC 20036 | Register Here
Join us for the report launch of “The Protection of Civilians in U.S. Partnered Operations,” a joint initiative between the CSIS International Security Program, the Center for Civilians in Conflict, and InterAction. The event agenda is as follows:
Agenda
3:00 PM – 3:10 PM: Briefing: Report Findings
- Daniel R. Mahanty, Director of the U.S. Program, Center for Civilians in Conflict
- Jenny McAvoy, Director of Protection, InterAction
3:10 PM – 4:30 PM: Moderated Discussion: Protection of Civilians in U.S. Partnered Operations
- Charles “Cob” Blaha, Director, Office of Security and Human Rights, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State
- Alexandra Boivin, Head of Regional Delegation for the United States and Canada, International Committee of the Red Cross
- Amanda Catanzano, Senior Director, International Programs Policy and Advocacy, International Rescue Committee
- Mark Swayne, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Stability and Humanitarian Affairs, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, U.S. Department of Defense
- Moderator: Melissa Dalton, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director, International Security Program, and Director, Cooperative Defense Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies
5. The China Debate: Are US and Chinese long-term interests fundamentally incompatible? | Tuesday, October 30 | 3:30 pm – 5 pm | Brookings Institution, Cohosted by Yale Law School | 1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20036 | Register Here
The first two years of Donald Trump’s presidency have coincided with an intensification in competition between the United States and China. Across nearly every facet of the relationship—trade, investment, technological innovation, military dialogue, academic exchange, relations with Taiwan, the South China Sea—tensions have risen and cooperation has waned. To some observers, the more competitive nature of U.S.-China relations was long in the making; to others, it is the outgrowth of recent decisions made by leaders in Washington and Beijing.
On Tuesday, October 30, Evan Osnos will moderate a public debate about the future of U.S.-China relations. Two teams of distinguished experts will examine whether or not U.S. and Chinese interests are “fundamentally incompatible,” as a recent survey by Foreign Affairs posed. Both sides will consider areas where U.S. and Chinese vital interests converge and diverge, whether each country’s national ambitions are reconcilable with the other’s goals, how the United States can best manage great power competition with China, and how domestic politics factor in within each country.
Moderator:
Evan OsnosP
Nonresident Fellow – Foreign Policy, John L. Thornton China Center
Team Yes:
Evan Medeiros
Penner Family Chair in Asian Studies – Georgetown University
Thomas Wright
Director – Center on the United States and Europe, Senior Fellow – Foreign Policy, Project on International Order and Strategy
Team No:
David M. Lampton
Hyman Professor and Direcotr of China Studies Emeritus – Johns Hopkins University SAIS
Susan A. Thornton
Senior Fellow – Paul Tsai China Center, Yale Law School, Former Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs – U.S. Department of State
6. Saving Democracy: The Constitutional Dimension | Thursday, November 1 | 9 am – 10:15 am | Carnegie Endowment for International Peace | 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20036 | Register Here
With global democracy facing serious doubts about its basic health and longevity, comparative studies of safeguards and threats to democracy are multiplying. University of Chicago law professor Tom Ginsburg will join Carnegie’s Thomas Carothers to discuss the constitutional dimensions of democratic decay and survival.
In a new book, How to Save a Constitutional Democracy, Ginsburg and Aziz Z. Huq analyze lessons from around the world about how constitutions sometimes help and sometimes hurt democracy, including a hard comparative look at the U.S. Constitution and its role in America’s democratic troubles. In this session, Ginsburg will present the main findings of their study, including proposals for legal and constitutional measures that can help reduce the risk of democratic backsliding in both the United States and younger democracies around the world.
TOM GINSBURG
Tom Ginsburg is Leo Spitz professor of international law, Ludwig and Hilde Wolf research scholar, and professor of political science at the University of Chicago
THOMAS CAROTHERS
Thomas Carothers is senior vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. In that capacity he oversees all of the research programs at Carnegie. He also directs the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program.
7. Course Change or Full Speed Ahead? Post-Midterm U.S. Foreign Policy’s Impact on Indo-Pacific | Friday, November 2 | 11 am – 12 pm | Stimson Center | 1211 Connecticut Avenue, NW, 8th Floor, Washington DC. 20036 | Register Here
The United States midterm elections may determine whether U.S. foreign policy changes course in 2019 or holds steady. Under the Trump administration, the U.S. foreign policy agenda has undergone some changes, rarely mentioning U.S. values and at times displaying disconnect between rhetoric and policy implementation. Particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, where the Trump administration has discussed disengagement and international cooperation by turns, post-election U.S. foreign policy will impact how current shifts in the security environment play out. After the midterms, will Congress forge a new consensus on how foreign policy should be conducted? Or if there is no course change, what will be the potential consequences for future presidents’ foreign policy agenda? Join Stimson and the Canon Institute for Global Studies for a seminar to discuss these questions, as well as how U.S. foreign policy looks from the outside, and what impact it will have on the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
Featuring:
DEREK MITCHELL, President, National Democratic Institute (NDI) Ambassador
KUNI MIYAKE, Research Director for Foreign and National Security Affairs, Canon Institute for Global Studies (CIGS)
DANIEL TWINING, President, International Republican Institute (IRI)
YUKI TATSUMI, Co-Director, East Asia Program, Stimson (moderator)
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