Central America
Honduras’ Stalled Attorney General Election Shows Political Obstacles to Fighting Crime
Lawmakers in Honduras are deadlocked over the selection of a new attorney general, underscoring the political obstacles to constructing an effective approach to fighting organized crime and corruption. Legislators appear no closer to agreeing on a candidate to be the country’s new top prosecutor after missing a September 1 deadline for the selection … Read more
Guatemalan Ex-President Otto Perez Molina sentenced to 8 years in prison on corruption charges
This past Wednesday, September 6, 2023, a Guatemalan court sentenced former President of Guatemala, Otto Perez Molina, to an eight-year prison term in yet another corruption case; corruption scandals led to his resignation in 2015. Ex-president Perez Molina served from 2012 to 2015. Judge Eva Recinos delivered the verdict after … Read more
3 Obstacles to Uruguay’s Fight Against Money Laundering
Two candidates remain in Ecuador’s presidential race, and, regardless of their security strategies, neither can control the rising production of cocaine, which appears to be fueling the country’s spiraling violence. The final candidates, Luisa González of the Citizen Revolution Movement (Movimiento Revolución Ciudadana), and Daniel Noboa of National Democratic Action (Acción Democrática Nacional – ADN), will … Read more
Colombia’s Total Peace 1-Year-On: Less State Violence, Stronger Criminal Groups
One year into Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s “Total Peace” project, a report describes how violence against the state has decreased while the country’s criminal groups have grown in strength. The report by Fundación Ideas Para la Paz, published August 22, explains that Colombia’s main criminal groups have expanded their territorial control, enhanced their power of recruitment, and … Read more
In Ecuador’s Elections, Social Programs Won
Ecuador is headed to the second round of presidential elections with two candidates who support social measures as their primary strategy for addressing the wave of violence terrorizing the country. In the first round of elections on August 20, Luisa González of the Citizen Revolution Movement (Movimiento Revolución Ciudadana), and Daniel Noboa of National Democratic Action (Acción Democrática Nacional – ADN) finished … Read more
Guatemala’s President-Elect Still Has One More Hurdle to Cross
An outsider candidate campaigning on an anti-corruption platform secured a landslide victory in Guatemala’s presidential election on Sunday, setting up a possible showdown between the president-elect and corrupt, political elites still clinging to power. Centrist anti-corruption campaigner Bernardo Arevalo secured 58% of votes in the August 20 presidential run-off … Read more
Amazon Protection Pact Falls Short on Tackling Organized Crime
South American nations have signed a landmark pact to protect the Amazon rainforest, but the agreement fails to offer comprehensive strategies for addressing environmental crime. Leaders of eight Amazon nations — Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela — met in the Brazilian city of Belém on August 8. At the meeting organized by Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula … Read more
