CNAS Policy Brief: Growing Western Hemisphere Violence Demands Regional Response

The
most dangerous threat to the United States and its allies in the Western
Hemisphere is the growth of powerful transnational criminal organizations in
Mexico and Central America, according to the authors of a new policy brief
released today by the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). In Security Through Partnership: Fighting
Transnational Cartels in the Western Hemisphere, authors Bob
Killebrew and Matthew Irvine write that increased regional cooperation –
which has been a topic of President Obama’s Latin America tour – is needed
to combat the growing violence and instability in the Western Hemisphere.



“Transnational cartel networks cannot be defeated in just one area, one border
or one country. These organizations conduct activities throughout the region
and therefore are able to adapt quickly to new security measures taken to
counter them,” write
authors Killebrew and Irvine. “A reinvigorated partnership between the United
States and Colombia, Mexico and the nations of Central America is the most
effective means to attack this transnational threat and promote the rule of law
and justice throughout the region.”

 

Killebrew and Irvine recommend that the United States and its regional
partners:

• Prioritize attacking cartels. While mitigating the effects of illegal drugs is an
  important policy issue in the concerned countries, the United States and
  its regional partners should target the cartel networks throughout the
  region as the primary threat.
• Work regionally.
  The United States and its partners stand the best chance of securing the
  region against the most dangerous cartels by deploying a regional security
  strategy, rather than directing efforts to just one area, one
  border or one country.

In
addition, the United States should:

• Help others lead. Successful efforts against transnational criminal
  organizations need not originate in Washington. The United States should
  encourage bilateral or multilateral partnerships in the region that may
  not include direct U.S. sponsorship or control but focus on shared goals.
• Revitalize its partnership with Colombia. The United States should anchor its regional efforts
  in a new relationship with Colombia based on a shared interest in
  countering transnational criminal networks and bolstering the rule of law.

Download Security Through
Partnership here.