Latin American Program in the News: The Pan-American Post News Briefs
The February 6, 2014 edition of the Pan-American Post News Brief references the Latin American Program's publication “One Goal, Two Struggles: Confronting Crime and Violence in Mexico and Colombia" and the comparison of security lessons from both countries.
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"While the recent institutionalization of "self-defense" militias in the Mexican state of Michoacan has led to comparisons to Colombia's paramilitary groups, there are both strong and weak points in this comparison. A new report out by the Wilson Center's Latin American program, called "One Goal, Two Struggles: Confronting Crime and Violence in Mexico and Colombia," features input from a range of experts around the hemisphere on the security lessons from both countries."
The February 6, 2014 edition of The Pan-American Post's daily news briefings references the Latin American Program's new publication "One Goal, Two Struggles: Confronting Crime and Violence in Mexico and Colombia." The publication compiles contributions from international experts who address the utility of comparing Colombia and Mexico's experiences and strategy for combatting organized crime and violence.
The blurb in The Pan-American Post mentions that there are strengths and weaknesses of the comparison. It then goes on to discuss Marta Lucía Ramírez de Rincón's analysis and her argument that both countries initially "misdiagnosed" their security crises. She also suggests that Mexico could benefit by classifying drug traffickers as terrorists.
Overall, the publication discusses the questions: What aspects of Colombia's strategy and tactics for fighting organized crime in its own territory offer useful lessons for Mexico? What might Colombia's steps and missteps offer by way of example or counter-example? What is unique about each case such that comparisons are misleading? What do current security challenges in Colombia suggest abou tthe threat posed by organized crime more generally?
To read the publication, click here.
About the Authors
Eric L. Olson
Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives, Seattle International Foundation
Cynthia J. Arnson
Christine Zaino
María Victoria Llorente
Jeremy McDermott
Raul Benitez-Manaut
Researcher, Center for Research on North America, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)
Marta Lucía Ramírez de Rincón
John Bailey
Latin America Program
The Wilson Center’s prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action. Read more
