Jackie Ducharme - Orion Policy Institute

A Moment of Strategic Choice: U.S. Policy in a Post-Maduro Hemisphere

February 12, 2026

The capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026 marks a strategic inflection point for the United States and the first real stress test of

Venezuela’s Hybrid Criminal Networks and U.S. Regional Strategy

February 4, 2026

Editor’s Note: This policy brief is Part I of an Orion Policy Institute (OPI) Transnational Crime Project (OPI-TCP) series and culminating report examining Venezuela’s transnational

Operation Southern Spear and the Escalation Against Narcotraffickers

December 8, 2025

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

Opportunity for Lasting Peace? Renewed Violence Tests Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations

October 22, 2025

Introduction In October 2025, cross-border conflict surged between Afghanistan and Pakistan over allegations of terrorist safe havens in Afghanistan and drone strikes carried out by

Airstrikes on Drug Traffickers in the Caribbean

September 22, 2025

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

The Security and Humanitarian Crisis in Haiti and Implications for U.S. Foreign Policy

August 7, 2025

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

Reinforcing U.S. Power in the Horn of Africa: The Case for a Base in Somaliland

May 16, 2025

Amidst threats to U.S. interests in the Red Sea and competition for regional influence, the United States must reassess its military posture in the Horn

The Importance of Controlling Bagram Air Base to US Interests in Afghanistan and Surrounding Areas

March 27, 2025

Recently, the U.S. has expressed the importance of who controls the Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. In President Trump’s first cabinet meeting since returning to