El Centro

Colombia holds a crucial role in the global drug trade, serving as a major source of cocaine linked to its historical conflicts and ongoing violence. The nation has been marred by some of history's most notorious drug trafficking organizations, including the Medellín and Cali cartels, which have significantly affected Colombia's stability and safety. Additionally, Colombia has been home to several violent revolutionary groups. For decades, organizations like FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and the ELN (Ejército de Liberación Nacional – National Liberation Army) engaged in armed conflict, exacerbating the country’s violence.

SWJ−El Centro Associate Daniel Weisz Argomedo Reviews of "Children of a Modest Star: Planetary Thinking for an Age of Crises" by Jonathan S. Blake and Nils Gilman.

This article by SWJ−El Centro Intern Zachary Horsington reviews the concept of twin insurgency and its constituent components of criminal insurgency and plutocratic insurgency in order to illuminate case studies of oil theft in Nigeria and Brazil.

This essay by two SWJ−El Centro scholars looks at the complexities of US-Mexico relations and the need for cooperation based upon mutual respect to address transnational organized crime.

This article provides perspective on Turkish organized crime and its links throughout Europe and Latin America.

This commentary summarizes the author’s presentation to the United States Department of Defense (DoD) Strategic Multi-Layer Assessment (SMA) Speaker Series at the Pentagon, Washington, DC on 22 August 2024.The author is Executive Director of the International Coalition Against Illicit Economies (ICAIE)

This essay by Colombian scholar provides insight into the bilateral US-Colombia policy challenges as transnational gangs and criminal armed groups threaten Colombian and regional security

This article provides an overview of research on the Tri-border area (TBA) between Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay conducted by the authors as part of the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC) at George Mason University project ‘Hubs of Illicit Trade.’

This essay by SWJ-El Centro Fellow Dr. Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera provides perspective on the recent arrests of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López

Este ensayo de la Dra. Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, compañera de SWJ-El Centro, ofrece una perspectiva sobre las recientes detenciones de Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada y Joaquín Guzmán López.