The Trump administration’s recent designation of the Clan del Golfo Colombian armed group as a foreign terrorist organization marks a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s counter-narcotics policy in Latin America. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on December 16th that the Colombian group would join a growing list of
Foreign policy analysts had long suspected that President Trump was reviving a Monroe Doctrine–style policy for Latin America. With the release of the 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS), that idea now has a formal name: the “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine. This newly declared doctrine revives a two-century-old concept
More than two months have passed since our last assessment on Airstrikes in the Caribbean, yet U.S. action against suspected Venezuelan narcotraffickers has accelerated, expanding in both scope and frequency. The situation has evolved into a sustained operation with far-reaching implications for U.S. policy and regional security. What began as
Executive Summary Many major American metropolitan public transportation organizations are confronting critical funding shortfalls in the coming years, which they warn will force them to implement drastic service reductions and fare increases without further investment. Among other benefits, public transportation is a vital resource for vulnerable and disadvantaged communities, who
In this episode of Orion Talks, host Marta Furlan talks with Héctor Camilo Morales Muñoz about the current situation in Colombia. The conversation starts with an overview of the current political and security climate in Colombia, with some reflections on where the country stands half a year before the elections
Introduction In September 2025, the United States conducted a series of airstrikes against suspected drug traffickers operating off Venezuela’s coast, marking the first publicly known instance of U.S. airstrikes being used against traffickers at sea outside a traditional warzone. The strikes reflect a sharp escalation in counternarcotics operations. This article
Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), a designated foreign terrorist organization (FTO) and transnational criminal organization (TCO) by the U.S. federal government, has its origins in Los Angeles, California, in the 1980s. At that time, El Salvador was engulfed in a civil war between the government and leftist guerrilla forces, most notably the
Haiti is on the verge of a total institutional collapse, with only 10% of the capital in control of the Haitian government—a government entrenched with corruption.[i] Instead, Haitian gangs are nearing total control of the capital and Haitian authorities can no longer combat the escalating violence.[ii] The current crisis goes
The trade war between the United States and China has reached a turning point after April 2025. Beginning in April with the US imposing tariffs as high as 145% on Chinese goods and China responding with 125% duties on American products, trade among the world’s two top economies has de
In this episode of Orion Talks, host Marta Furlan talks with Dr Nicholas Barnes on criminalized governance inside some of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas. After sharing the process that led him to focus his research on political violence and non-state governance as observed in some of Rio’s neighborhoods, Dr Barnes
Appearing on Asharq live, our Senior Fellow Suleyman Ozeren discussed President-elect Donald Trump’s remarks about the Panama Canal, Greenland, and Canada, and the upcoming US administration’s China and Russia policy and the implications. Watch the live here.
In this episode of Orion Talks, host Marta Furlan talks with Professor Dawisson Belém Lopes on Brazil’s foreign policy outlook, including its relations within the Latin American region and its relations with the US. The episode starts with Prof Lopes giving a detailed overview of Brazil’s foreign policy outlook under
