Latin America is entering a packed election season, with Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru and Brazil all set to elect presidents in the next 13 months. This is happening just as organized crime reaches unprecedented power. In several of these countries, crime is showing up in polls as the number one political issue. Security expert Lucía Dammert explains how booming cocaine production, money laundering, and criminal infiltration of formal economies are reshaping politics across the region. Dammert has a unique perspective as someone who has worked in both academia and government across the region. She has a new book out, Anatomía del poder ilegal: Violencia, crimen organizado y corrupción en América Latina.
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On this episode:
Lucía Dammert is a Professor at the Universidad de Santiago de Chile
Brian Winter is the editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly
If you’d like to know more:
The Geopolitics of Trump’s War on Drugs by Robert Muggah
To Fight Organized Crime, Latin America Needs a Regional Security Force by Ana Janaina Nelson and Benjamin Gedan
AQ Podcast | How Organized Crime Is Evolving in Latin America: 2025 Edition
Latin American Organized Crime’s Real Target: Local Government by Will Freeman
