Despite Record-Low Murder Rates, Brazilians Feel Less Safe
Homicide rates have fallen steadily in recent years, but over a third of Brazil’s public believe that violence has increased since Lula took office.
AQ Podcast | The Shifting Sands of Organized Crime in Latin America
An overview of how homicide and other crimes are evolving in the region
AQ Podcast | Ecuador’s Crossroads: Can Noboa Succeed?
An overview of the Americas’ latest front in the battle against organized crime.
AQ Podcast: How to Think About Latin America’s Security Crisis
An expert with firsthand knowledge discusses new crime dynamics and ways forward.
As Concern Over Crime Rises, Chile’s Boric Shifts Right
The deaths of three police officers in the space of a month has added to the already acute security woes facing the government.
AQ Podcast: How Organized Crime Is Changing In Latin America
An overview of the security landscape in the region, including how organized crime is pushing into previously calm countries
This Brazilian State Seems to Have Turned a Corner on Violence. But Can It Last?
When AQ visited Ceará in 2018, it was among the most violent in the country. A lot has changed.
Three Measures Brazil Should Take to Face Organized Crime
The anti-crime package in Congress now may not be enough to fight transnational gangs.
Targeting “Hot Spots” Could Drastically Reduce Latin America’s Murder Rate
Leer en español | Ler em português In Bogotá, just 1.2 percent of street addresses account for 99 percent of homicides. In Medellín, 40 percent of all crimes occur in just 10 hours of the 168-hour week. Perhaps more than any other part of the world, homicide in Latin America is concentrated by time and place … Read more
Latin Americans’ Perceptions of the Challenges of Urban Living
Rapid urbanization has shaped Latin American societies for the last half century. Across the Latin American and Caribbean region, about four out of every five citizens now live in an urban area. Nearly two out of every five citizens of the region live in an urban area with more than 1 million inhabitants.[1] The region’s … Read more
The Challenges Ahead for Hugo Chávez
After Hugo Chávez convincingly won re-election on Sunday, the margin of victory—over 1.5 million votes, totaling over 10 percentage points—has stunned members of Venezuela’s opposition, leaving them searching for answers. Some pointed to the Consejo Nacional Electoral (National Electoral Council—CNE), which is controlled by chavistas and turned a blind eye to government abuses. Others pointed … Read more
The FARC’s New Boss
Rodrigo Londoño Echeverria, known as Timochenko, became the third Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) commander in as many years after the Colombian military killed Alfonso Cano in November 2011. Timochenko has inherited a very different organization than that commanded by his predecessors. Only a little more than 10 years ago the FARC—Latin America’s oldest … Read more
High Inequality
Latin America suffers from both the world’s highest rate of income inequality and from a lackluster economic performance that puts it well behind the growth levels of other emerging regions such as Asia. Could there be a connection? Recent research suggests that high inequality and low social mobility are more than just poor people’s problems: … Read more
Growing Public Insecurity in Central America
Crime has replaced soccer as the hot conversation topic among business leaders, journalists, construction workers, and secretaries in Central America’s Northern Triangle—El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. Although the problems of delinquency, particularly maras (youth gangs) and organized criminal networks, are not new to the region, public skepticism—bordering on contempt—for all three governments’ inability to deal … Read more
