Mexico is home to some of the hemisphere’s largest, most sophisticated and violent organized criminal groups. These organizations have drawn from Mexico’s history of smuggling and close proximity to the United States, the world’s largest economy, to grow into a regional threat.

Sergio Aguayo is the head of a research project done by El Colegio de México and the Mexican Senate to compare the approaches to combating organized crime of seven Mexican presidents (from Miguel De la Madrid to Andrés Manuel López Obrador). From appeasement to confrontation and indifference, Mexico's presidents have reiterated that the State will prevail over organized criminal groups yet leave behind legacies marred with errors. Aguayo will present the most important findings of his research, as the basis for specific proposals to Mexico's next presidential administration. The book is set to be released in 2025.

Join the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (ET) for a discussion with Sergio Aguayo, author of Siete Presidentes y el Crimen Organizado (1982-2023).