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Articles 1 - 26 of 26
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Why Has Peace Not Come To Colombia? Between Total Peace And Armed Peace, César Niño
Why Has Peace Not Come To Colombia? Between Total Peace And Armed Peace, César Niño
Journal of Strategic Security
This research asks why peace has not come to Colombia despite the end of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Total Peace is an ambitious project of Gustavo Petro’s government to build the elusive peace in Colombia. However, the country's current security and violence situation shows a crisis in realizing the peace project. New criminal actors are proliferating, massacres are increasing, the confinement of marginal populations is on the rise, and ambushes against members of the security forces continue. The disconnection of the Total Peace policy with the security and defense policy has led to the strengthening of armed structures …
Bukele’S Formula For Terrorism, Yovani E. Chavez Rodriguez
Bukele’S Formula For Terrorism, Yovani E. Chavez Rodriguez
Journal of Strategic Security
The Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and the Mara Barrio 18 (18thStreet Gang) are two of the most notorious Maras. Their army-sized membership and extraordinary levels of brutality once led them to commit more murders than the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Boko Haram, and Al Qaeda. Currently, their activities have expanded to the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Africa. While they are undoubtedly terrorist organizations, Bukele’s formula has proven effective in combating them. Nonetheless, Bukele’s government needs to implement measures to effectively counteract terrorism without affecting the rule of law, transparency, and the respect of human rights.
Why Cities Fail: The Urban Security Crisis In Ecuador, Jorge Mantilla, Carolina Andrade, Maria Fe Vallejo
Why Cities Fail: The Urban Security Crisis In Ecuador, Jorge Mantilla, Carolina Andrade, Maria Fe Vallejo
Journal of Strategic Security
Compared to other countries in Latin America, Ecuador was traditionally considered a peaceful territory. However, 2022 was the most violent year in the history of Ecuador with a homicide rate of 25.6. In particular, the littoral city of Guayaquil (46.6) poses extraordinary challenges to Ecuadorian security agencies while criminal governance and firepower of criminal armed groups increased steadily in the past four years. This paper explores the relationship between ports, violence, and governance in the context of criminal wars. Through a process-tracing method, it studies the path through which Guayaquil ended up in a security crisis between 2018 and 2022. …
The Political Trajectory Of Urban Violence: Organized Crime In Michoacán’S Apatzingán, Fausto Carbajal
The Political Trajectory Of Urban Violence: Organized Crime In Michoacán’S Apatzingán, Fausto Carbajal
Journal of Strategic Security
Contrary to the “narco-centric” explanation of homicidal violence in Mexico, this article proposes “the political trajectory of urban violence” (PTUV) as an additional analytical category to nuance the developmental process of today´s large-scale violence in Mexican urban enclaves. Building on previous research, this article argues that organized crime-related violence in Mexican cities today has unveiled –and exacerbated– intricate power tensions among private actors –both illegal and, perhaps more importantly, legal ones– which need to be explored by considering the historical evolution of these political processes within a given urban context. The PTUV, then, regards recent organized crime-related violence as part …
Virtual Urban Siege: Modern Urban Siege And Swarming In Culiacán 2019 & 2023, Daniel Weisz Argomedo, Nathan P. Jones, Ph.D., John P. Sullivan, Ph.D.
Virtual Urban Siege: Modern Urban Siege And Swarming In Culiacán 2019 & 2023, Daniel Weisz Argomedo, Nathan P. Jones, Ph.D., John P. Sullivan, Ph.D.
Journal of Strategic Security
Modern urban siege is a metaphor for evolved urban campaigns. The template for such attacks draws from the tactics seen in the 26/11 Mumbai attack in 2008, and continued with the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Kenya, the January 2015 Charlie Hebdo and Hyper Cacher attacks in Paris and the November 2015 attacks against the Stade de France and Bataclan. These virtual sieges employ swarming tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) to provide a template for urban strife and insecurity. This article provides an overview of terrorist swarming tactics, expanding the aperture to review the use of similar TTPs by criminal …
Urban Security: From High-Intensity Crime To Large-Scale Combat Operations And Everything In Between, John P. Sullivan, Ph.D., Nathan P. Jones, Ph.D., Daniel W. Argomedo, Ph.D.
Urban Security: From High-Intensity Crime To Large-Scale Combat Operations And Everything In Between, John P. Sullivan, Ph.D., Nathan P. Jones, Ph.D., Daniel W. Argomedo, Ph.D.
Journal of Strategic Security
No abstract provided.
Megacities And Urban Warfare In The 21st Century: The City As The Cemetery Of Revolutionaries And Resources, José De Arimatéia Da Cruz Ph.D./Mph
Megacities And Urban Warfare In The 21st Century: The City As The Cemetery Of Revolutionaries And Resources, José De Arimatéia Da Cruz Ph.D./Mph
Journal of Strategic Security
No abstract provided.
The Information Age: Transnational Organized Crime, Networks, And Illicit Markets, John P. Sullivan
The Information Age: Transnational Organized Crime, Networks, And Illicit Markets, John P. Sullivan
Journal of Strategic Security
In his landmark trilogy, The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture, sociologist Manuel Castells argued that networks, information technology, and global economic flows were altering the nature of politics, power, and states. This article examines the network dynamics Castells wrote about in relation to transnational crime and illicit economic markets. The article further explores Castells’s influence on the study of transnational organized crime, illicit networks, and the global illicit economy.
Armed Violence In The Llanos Orientales Region Following The Signing Of The Peace Agreement With The Farc-Ep In Colombia, David Gómez Triana, Jerónimo Ríos
Armed Violence In The Llanos Orientales Region Following The Signing Of The Peace Agreement With The Farc-Ep In Colombia, David Gómez Triana, Jerónimo Ríos
Journal of Strategic Security
A fundamental aspect in the study of the Colombian armed conflict is related to the violence produced in the country after the signing of the Peace Agreement with the FARC-EP guerrillas in November 2016. To this end, we attempt to analyze the transformation of the relationship between the perpetrators of violence and their territory, taking as a case study a region particularly affected by the conflict, as is Llanos Orientales (known in English as the Eastern Plains). Starting with a preliminary characterization of the most relevant armed groups – post-paramilitary groups, FARC-EP dissidents and ELN guerrillas – we attempt to …
Drug Wars And Covert Netherworlds: The Transformation Of Mexico’S Narco Cartels. By James H. Creechan. Tucson: The University Of Arizona Press, 2021., Sabrina S. Laroussi
Drug Wars And Covert Netherworlds: The Transformation Of Mexico’S Narco Cartels. By James H. Creechan. Tucson: The University Of Arizona Press, 2021., Sabrina S. Laroussi
Journal of Strategic Security
No abstract provided.
A Comparative Analysis Of The "Mexican Drug Violence: Hybrid Warfare, Predatory Capitalism And The Logic Of Cruelty" And "The Rise Of The Narcostate (Mafia States), Daniel Argomedo Weisz
A Comparative Analysis Of The "Mexican Drug Violence: Hybrid Warfare, Predatory Capitalism And The Logic Of Cruelty" And "The Rise Of The Narcostate (Mafia States), Daniel Argomedo Weisz
Journal of Strategic Security
No abstract provided.
Votes, Drugs And Violence: The Political Logic Of Criminal Wars In Mexico. By Guillermo Trejo And Sandra Ley. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2020. Isbn 978-1-108-79527-2., Howard Campbell
Journal of Strategic Security
No abstract provided.
A Social Network Analysis Of Mexico’S Dark Network Alliance Structure, Nathan P. Jones, Irina A. Chindea, Daniel Weisz Argomedo, John P. Sullivan
A Social Network Analysis Of Mexico’S Dark Network Alliance Structure, Nathan P. Jones, Irina A. Chindea, Daniel Weisz Argomedo, John P. Sullivan
Journal of Strategic Security
This article assesses Mexico’s organized crime alliance and subgroup network structures. Through social network analysis (SNA) of data from Lantia Consultores, a consulting firm in Mexico that specializes in the analysis of public policies, it demonstrates differential alliance structures within Mexico’s bipolar illicit network system. The Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación’s (CJNG) alliance structure is top-down and hierarchical, while the Sinaloa Cartel is denser, particularly in the broader Tierra Caliente region. Additionally, our analysis found a sparse overall network with many isolates (groups with no relations to other groups) and disconnected components. Further, we identified organized crime networks that …
Strategic Notes On Third Generation Gangs: A Small Wars Journal-El Centro Anthology. By John P. Sullivan, Robert J. Bunker, Editors. Bloomington: Xlibris, 2020. $26.99., Jonathan D. Rosen
Strategic Notes On Third Generation Gangs: A Small Wars Journal-El Centro Anthology. By John P. Sullivan, Robert J. Bunker, Editors. Bloomington: Xlibris, 2020. $26.99., Jonathan D. Rosen
Journal of Strategic Security
No abstract provided.
Climate Change And Global Security, Nathan Jones, John P. Sullivan
Climate Change And Global Security, Nathan Jones, John P. Sullivan
Journal of Strategic Security
No abstract provided.
Climate Change, Drug Traffickers And La Sierra Tarahumara, Daniel Weisz Argomedo
Climate Change, Drug Traffickers And La Sierra Tarahumara, Daniel Weisz Argomedo
Journal of Strategic Security
The purpose of this article is to uncover the ways in which climate change will impact indigenous people in contested areas as is the case of the Tarahumara indigenous community in Northern Mexico. The case study takes place on a border that John Sullivan conceptualizes as a “hyperborder” due to the complexity and high level of both licit and illicit trade. Sullivan explains how this border region has been heavily contested as criminals exploit weak governance. After 9/11 the increase of security at the border led drug trafficking organizations to diversify into internal drug distribution which required control over micro-territories. …
The Impact Of Climate Change On Cultural Security, Dominika Krupocin, Jesse Krupocin
The Impact Of Climate Change On Cultural Security, Dominika Krupocin, Jesse Krupocin
Journal of Strategic Security
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges and most pressing issues faced by humanity in the modern era. Extreme weather events, changes to world ecosystems, species extinction, disruption of animal and human migration, resource shortages, socio-economic concerns, outbreaks and pandemics, as well as domestic and international conflicts represent only a few select potential climate change consequences. Regrettably, when considering the issues pertinent to climate change, one of the oft-overlooked areas is cultural security. Rising sea levels will lead to some of the world’s islands and coastal cities essentially being erased from Earth, resulting in the destruction, and possibly even …
Russian Influence In Latin America: A Response To Nato, Mason Shuya
Russian Influence In Latin America: A Response To Nato, Mason Shuya
Journal of Strategic Security
Since facing international backlash from the West over the situation in Ukraine, Russia has had to focus on new international agreements. In retaliation for NATO expansion towards the east, Russia has sought to create these agreements in Latin America. Russia has specifically sought greater ties with Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Brazil, and Mexico. Currently, these countries maintain close economic ties with the United States. However, new military agreements are giving Russia greater military access to the region and access to locations that would facilitate greater ease in conducting military and espionage operations against the United States.
Huachicoleros: Criminal Cartels, Fuel Theft, And Violence In Mexico, Nathan P. Jones, John P. Sullivan
Huachicoleros: Criminal Cartels, Fuel Theft, And Violence In Mexico, Nathan P. Jones, John P. Sullivan
Journal of Strategic Security
Criminal cartels and gangs dominate the illicit economy in Mexico. These organized crime groups challenge the solvency (specifically capacity and legitimacy) of the state in Mexico. Organized crime in Mexico is involved in a range of activities including extortion, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and petroleum theft. Criminal cartels, often called drug trafficking organizations, have diversified into other illicit activities specifically petroleum theft. This paper provides an overview of the rise of a specialized organized criminal entity: huachicoleros. Huachicoleros specialize in fuel theft and like their narco counterparts use corruption and violence to protect their illicit market. The rise of …
Security Inequalities In North America: Reassessing Regional Security Complex Theory, Richard J. Kilroy Jr, Abelardo Rodriguez Sumano, Todd Hataley
Security Inequalities In North America: Reassessing Regional Security Complex Theory, Richard J. Kilroy Jr, Abelardo Rodriguez Sumano, Todd Hataley
Journal of Strategic Security
This article re-evaluates earlier work done by the authors on Regional Security Complex Theory (RSCT) in North America, using sectoral analysis initially developed by Buzan and Waever, but also adding the variables of institutions, identity, and interests. These variables are assessed qualitatively in the contemporary context on how they currently impress upon the process of securitization within sectoral relations between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The article reviews the movement from bilateral security relations between these states to the development of a trilateral response to regional security challenges post- 9/11. It further addresses the present period and what appears …
Drugs & Thugs: Funding Terrorism Through Narcotics Trafficking, Colin P. Clarke
Drugs & Thugs: Funding Terrorism Through Narcotics Trafficking, Colin P. Clarke
Journal of Strategic Security
To date, much of the literature on the financing of terrorism and insurgency has focused at the macro-level on groups involved in financing their organizations through involvement in the drug trade. This paper discusses some of those implications, but argues that to better understand the threat faced by the new generation of jihadists in the West, security forces and intelligence services must also look at the micro-level of how lower level trafficking, drug dealing and petty criminal activity, combined with prison radicalization and ties to the black market and illicit underworld, combine to present a new spin on a longstanding …
Motivations And Implications Of Community Service Provision By La Familia Michoacána / Knights Templar And Other Mexican Drug Cartels, Shawn T. Flanigan
Motivations And Implications Of Community Service Provision By La Familia Michoacána / Knights Templar And Other Mexican Drug Cartels, Shawn T. Flanigan
Journal of Strategic Security
Research demonstrates that service provision by violent organizations can be an effective strategy for coercing the local community to accept and conceal a group’s violent activities, and for creating loyalty to these groups. This has been most frequently explored among political organizations such as terrorist groups, with organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas very visibly engaged in providing social welfare in addition to their violent activities. Recent reports indicate that criminal organizations in Mexico also are involved in instances of public service provision in local communities. This article explores the extent to which drug cartels operating in Mexico are involved in …
The Financial Arm Of The Farc: A Threat Finance Perspective, Thomas R. Cook
The Financial Arm Of The Farc: A Threat Finance Perspective, Thomas R. Cook
Journal of Strategic Security
The FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) transformed from a traditional guerrilla group into a full-fledged insurgency because of its ability to effectively convert the proceeds derived from illegal narcotic trafficking into operational funds. Those financial capabilities allowed the FARC to challenge government authority in large swathes of the Colombian state. The FARC moved into the drug trade, initially controlling production territory and subsequently engaging in trafficking, which allowed the organization to increase its war-fighting capabilities. This paper only scratches the surface of the mechanism by which the FARC utilized its coca revenue in …
International Security Strategy And Global Population Aging, Christian Leuprecht
International Security Strategy And Global Population Aging, Christian Leuprecht
Journal of Strategic Security
To be successful, grand strategy requires objectives, concepts, and resources to be balanced appropriately with a view to defeating one’s enemy. The trouble is, of course, that Generals are always well prepared to fight the last war. In the words of Yogi Berra, predictions are always difficult, especially when they involve the future. Yet, grand strategy is all about the future. But how is one to strategize about a future that is inherently difficult to predict? One way to overcome this conundrum is to rely on independent variables that can be projected into the future with reasonable accuracy. Aside from …
Toward A New Trilateral Strategic Security Relationship: United States, Canada, And Mexico, Richard J. Kilroy, Jr., Abelardo Rodríguez Sumano, Todd S. Hataley
Toward A New Trilateral Strategic Security Relationship: United States, Canada, And Mexico, Richard J. Kilroy, Jr., Abelardo Rodríguez Sumano, Todd S. Hataley
Journal of Strategic Security
The term "perimeter defense" has come back into vogue recently, with regard to security strategies for North America. The United States' concern primarily with the terrorist threat to its homeland subsequent to September 11, 2001 (9/11) is generating this discussion with its immediate neighbors of Mexico and Canada (and to some extent some Caribbean nations—the "third border"). The concept is simply that by pushing defenses out to the "perimeter" nations, then security will be enhanced, since the United States visions itself as more vulnerable to international terrorism than its neighbors. However, Canada and Mexico have not been very happy about …
Redefining Terrorism: Why Mexican Drug Trafficking Is More Than Just Organized Crime, Sylvia M. Longmire, Lt. John P. Longmire
Redefining Terrorism: Why Mexican Drug Trafficking Is More Than Just Organized Crime, Sylvia M. Longmire, Lt. John P. Longmire
Journal of Strategic Security
Mexican drug traffickers are more than criminals. They are terrorists. And that's not hyperbole. The tactics, strategy, organization, and even (to a limited extent) the goals of the Mexican drug cartels are all perfectly consistent with those of recognized terrorist organizations. Admittedly, the cartels lack the motivating political or religious ideology most terrorist groups display, and some argue this precludes the application of the "terrorist" label. However, we will show this objection is inclusive at best. Were the United States government to formally recognize the Mexican cartels as the terrorists they are—or at least hybrid organizations that employ terrorist tactics—a …