Sexual violence perpetuated as a weapon of war is an unfortunately common phenomenon for Latin America and the Caribbean regions, especially during conflicts and civil wars. This article will trace back such practices to their origins in colonialism and the culture of machismo that permeates the region. It will do so by focusing on the exemplary case of Guatemala as the first case of a national court holding a hearing for sexual slavery perpetrated by military officials during armed conflicts as a war crime, and the success story of the indigenous women of Sepur Zarco in receiving justice for the crimes they were victims of during the 1960-1996 Guatemalan civil war.

The COVID-19 pandemic has become the focal point of world affairs and relegated other pressing matters to the background. One item that has not gained the attention it deserves is the decision of the U.S. government to revise their anti-personnel landmine (APL) policy. On the 31st of January 2020, the U.S. Secretary of Defense announced the withdrawal from Barack Obama’s Presidential Policy Directive 37 (PPD-37), which had largely prohibited the usage, production, stockpiling, and transfer of APLs outside of the Korean peninsula. In this article I will express strong reservations towards this policy shift, arguing that the Trump administration has made a short-sighted and unnecessary decision which will have dangerous repercussions.

For this second episode, we spoke with Giancarlo Fiorella, Investigator and Trainer for Latin America at Bellingcat. Giancarlo is also a PhD student at the University of Toronto, writing his thesis on protest policing in Venezuela, focusing on the role of civilian armed groups. During our conversation, we discussed the benefits of open source investigation as well as the impact of the pandemic in Venezuela.

‘OSINT investigation is very beneficial when it comes to investigating human rights abuses, war crime or crimes against humanity.’

‘Some Venezuelan human rights organisations denounced the demonization of refugees by State officials.’

‘Considering the reaction we all had to the pandemic, I am really skeptical that we will be able to deal with the climate change crisis in an orderly effective manner as a species’

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has set the arena for the United States (U.S.) to demonstrate its leadership and proclaimed better position in the world in comparison with China. Nonetheless, its isolationist policy under the administration of President Donald J. Trump led the U.S. to produce poor international confidence and support based on its worrying figures from pandemic management. Boosted by COVID-19, this left a path clear for the U.S.’s main rival, China, to present its aspirations for a different world order.

When a rising power threatens to displace an incumbent power, historically the result has been war. The rise of China has triggered heated debate within academia. This question- whether the United States (US) and China will fall into the so-called “Thucydides’ Trap”-is of primary relevance today for policymakers worldwide as both countries intensify their rivalry. Should both countries expand their economic, political, security and cultural cooperation, war is unlikely to be an outcome. This essay deals with an emerging power that seeks to find its place in the international system by actively shaping it - from 5G technology, the Belt and Road Initiative and to subversive acts around the globe. The essay concludes with a war between China and the United States being unlikely to take place thanks to the different nature of alliance networks today, the economic interdependence among countries, and the changing public attitude towards war.

Brazil is amongst the most unequal countries in the world, as the nation’s social-economic inequality in particular has reached extreme levels. Despite country-wide campaigns to eradicate poverty there are still roughly 24 million Brazilians who live on less than $2 per day, and 56% of the population earns less than the minimum wage. Although inequality is one of Brazil’s most pressing matters, as a source for violence and instability, it has never been truly securitised. In contrast, Brazil did consider the issue of drug trafficking at its borders to be an existential threat that required the mobilisation of scarce resources and extraordinary measures. This security issue recently reached the phase of de-securitisation, not as a result of its success, but because of financial and political pressures. It was simply too costly and not feasible to protect the roughly 17,000 kilometres of remote land, water, and air that separate the country from Bolivia, Peru and Colombia, South America’s coca sources, and Paraguay, the continent’s main producer of marijuana. In this brief article, I will demonstrate that Securitisation Theory, as defined by the Copenhagen School, offers the analytical framework to display the process behind Brazil’s adoption of security threats, and that, in turn, allows us to critically assess these political decisions.

While previous publications by the Security Distillery have provided a general outline and definition of securitization, this article will attempt to contextualize the concept by examining the the fallout of a Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) case centered around the legality of sex work in the country. This article examines the subsequent securitizing response implemented by the Canadian government, in an attempt to abide by the SCCs ruling. Though this is not a traditionally securitized topic, it abides by the general principles of securitization theory in that it helps us to understand why and how securitization happens, and the effects of this decision upon those whom it targets.

MORE IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER: INTELLIGENCE LESSONS FROM THE SEARCH FOR OSAMA BIN LADEN

‘We’re now in an age in which our primary adversary is easy to kill, he’s just very hard to find’ - Michael V. Hayden, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (2007)

VIOLENCE AGAINST INDIGENOUS WOMEN IN CANADA: DOES IT MATTER IF IT IS CALLED GENOCIDE?

“Sexist and racist policies and practices in Canada have created an environment inimical to the health, safety, and wellbeing of Indigenous women and girls. In light of the finding of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and girls that the treatment of Indigenous women in Canada amounts to genocide, this piece examines the importance of labeling this issue ‘genocide’ and why this finding has garnered some resistance in Canada.”

Cybercrime in ecuador: an asymmetric threat

“In the digital era we live in, cybercrime represents a direct threat not only for nations but also for corporations and individuals. Nations that lack development in technology and cybersecurity strategies are especially vulnerable to this type of threat. The recent data leak in Ecuador has highlighted the substantial threat of cybercrime to less technologically developed nations and the enormous impact it can have on their populations’ data protection”

LATIN AMERICA: THE WORLD’S DEADLIEST REGION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM

“In commemoration of the World Environment Day, 5th of June 2019”

The Politics of Food in Venezuela: Maduro, Military and Malnutrition

G’The build up of tensions in Venezuela has led the country to a breaking point: self-appointed interim president Guaidó has called for the military to defect and support him to topple the sitting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro at the end of April. This decision is not free from risk, especially since Guaidó’s diplomatic immunity has been revoked by the Maduro regime. Though the decision and its stakes highlight the key player in Venezuelan society: the military.’’

The Demise of the international commission against impunity in guatemala (Cicig): An Experiment in central american accountability

Guatemalans have welcomed the anti-impunity commission that works to combat high level corruption and abuses, but after over a decade of prominent arrests and government pushback, Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales threatened a pre-emptive withdrawal from the effort in January 2019. The decision is tied to a pattern of US-led norm breaking, with implications for justice in Guatemala and the region.

Colombia’s Tenuous Peace

Colombia’s 2016 Peace Deal with the FARC helped to lessen violence. However, without increased development efforts in rural areas, the toll of past conflict on society may prevent long-term sustainability, justice, and recovery. The new administration of Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez is projected to subvert major post-conflict initiatives and risks reigniting paramilitary conflict.

Online political microtargeting in the United States

“Online political microtargeting is personalised advertising targeting the voters who are on the fence in a campaign, and are thus most susceptible to personalised political advertisements. In the US, microtargeting allows political campaigns to target swing states, which fluctuate between supporting Democrats and Republicans and possess considerable weight in the outcome of an election.”