A New Criminal Landscape in Latin America

Security has become the defining issue in Latin American politics. In Colombia, Abelardo de la Espriella won the presidency on a hardline security platform and a promise to scrap Petro’s total peace plan. In Ecuador, Daniel Noboa won re-election on the back of a military crackdown against criminal gangs. And in Washington, the Trump administration launched the Shield of the Americas: A coalition of like-minded governments committed to a military-led approach to fighting organized crime. Meanwhile, criminal groups are doing what they always do: reorganizing, diversifying, and finding new markets to tap into, from the United States and Europe to an increasingly lucrative market in Asia and within Latin America itself. Today on the podcast, our annual big picture look at how organized crime is evolving across the region: How well is the militarized approach working? And what can we expect from this new generation of right-wing leaders? Our guest is Jeremy McDermott, co-director of InSight Crime.