The Washington Post ran a front-page story August 21, 2011 regarding the illegal wiretapping scandal involving Colombia's intelligence agency, the Department of Administrative Security (DAS). The article, "A Case of Aid Gone Bad in Colombia," summarizes how during the Uribe Administration, Colombia's main intelligence agency, charged with investigating organized crime, insurgents and drug traffickers, conducted illegal surveillance on the...
Since last Friday, the news from Mexico has been dominated by the deaths of 52 Mexicans, mostly middle aged, middle class women, in the casino fire in Monterrey. During the past week, both Mexican and U.S. governments and Mexican citizens have responded to this tragedy. President Calderon escalated both the verbal and military wars, calling the perpetrators "terrorists," for...
In the News
- In what Mexican President Felipe Calderon called a "true terrorist" act, 53 people were killed and dozens injured after gunmen torched the Casino Royale in Monterrey, Mexico. Hundred of soldiers are currently hunting those responsible, while ...
1. The Drug War
U.S. Widens Role in Mexico’s Fight Against Crime
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This second article from the New York Times on U.S.-Mexico cooperation in combating organized crime takes a look at police strikes by Mexican agents staged from U.S. territory. The first article caused quite a stir in Mexico. Congress demanded presentations from Calderon cabinet members for a full accounting of U.S. activities.
Ciudad Juárez police officer Jose Alarcon fled Mexico to the United States in 2008 after a series of horrific events – he himself was injured and his partner killed in a shootout with organized crime, and then he was threatened by criminal gangs when he refused to accept bribes to overlook their activities. Seeking refuge for his family, he sought asylum in the United States, but a Dallas immigration judge denied Alarcon’s request, ruling that this was a “risk that police officers are...
In the News
- In a move that took the United States by surprise, Peru's new government under President Ollanta Humala announced the temporary suspension of coca eradication in the Upper Huallaga Valley until the government can "evaluate the policies". While the eradication program has only been in place since January and the government has said the suspension is only temporary, the decision seems to demonstrate President Humala's willingness ...