Hot Topics

AA: How Hugo Chavez’s revolution crumbled 01/24/10

AA: Time to Stop Ignoring Chávez 01/25/10

AR: Argentina’s Redrado Denies Threat To Reveal Dollar Lists-Lawyer 01/26/10

BO: Violence and democracy in Bolivia 01/26/10

BR: Brazil starts beefing up security for Olympics 01/26/10

HN: Honduras: Court Clears Military Officers of Charges 01/26/10

PE: AIRLIFT OF FLOOD STRANDED TOURISTS IN PERU CONTINUES 01/27/10

PE: Peru Rebel Chief Announces Suspension of Armed Attacks 01/28/10

PE: Peru: Police announce public demonstrations for Feb. 5 01/25/10

Below the Fold: Instability, Security Forces, Foreign Affairs, Crime

Instability

AA: COLOMBIA: Venezuelan Meltdown Has Consequences 01/27/10

VE: Second day of violent anti-Hugo Chávez protests rock Venezuelan capital 01/28/10

VE: Venezuelan helicopter violates Colombian airspace 01/28/10

VE: Venezuelans protest censorship of popular TV channel 01/25/10

VE: Violent Protests Against Media Social Responsibility Measures Shake Merida … 01/26/10

Security Forces

AA: Brazil Feels The Pain Of Peacekeeping in Haiti 01/26/10

BO: Bolivian president swears in military, police chiefs 01/24/10

EC: Ecuador Rules Out Joint Military Operations with Colombia 01/23/10

GT: Guatemalan police arrest ex-president wanted in US 01/26/10

PA: Three Suspected Colombian Rebels Die in Clash with Panama Police 01/28/10

Foreign Affairs

BO: Women make up half of the new Bolivian ministerial cabinet 01/24/10

BR: While Building an Ethanol Stockpile Brazil Considers Getting Product from US 01/25/10

CL: Chile: Right wing victory in Presidential elections 01/27/10

CO: Colombia Opposition Seeks United Front against 3rd Uribe Term 01/26/10

HT: Clinton Defends US Military Role In Haiti 01/25/10

Crime

BR: Brazil Extradites to Argentina Operation Condor Suspect 01/25/10

EC: New Study on Ecuador’s Growing Role in Transnational Crime and the FARC 01/26/10

GT: Guatemala Busts Ring of Cops Tied to Mexican Gunmen 01/22/10

PY: Paraguayan Soccer Star Shot In Head, Crime Scene Photos Hit Twitter 01/25/10

Hot Topics

AA: Cuba, China, Venezuela send immediate assistance 01/20/10

AA: Oscar Heck: The Colombian government is NOT avoiding an armed conflict… 01/17/10

AA: UN report paints grim picture of conditions of world’s indigenous peoples 01/21/10

AA: US waves white flag in disastrous ‘war on drugs’ 01/16/10

AA: Venezuela donates 1 million gallons of fuel to Haiti via Dominican route 01/19/10

BR: Brazil promises to find killers of journalist and compensates family 01/19/10

BR: Why Can’t Brazilian Generals Admit Their Guilt in Human Rights Violations? 01/16/10

CL: Chileans Seek Change: Interview with the Pres. of the Communist Party of Chile … 01/16/10

CL: What Happened in Chile? 01/21/10

CO: Venezuelans Expelled from Colombia for Intelligence Gathering 01/19/10

PE: Transport Strikes Continue To Affect Parts Of Peru 01/19/10

SV: El Salvador issues official apology for civil war abuses 01/16/10

VE: Chavez escalates claims that US using relief effort to invade Haiti 01/20/10

VE: Thinking: If it weren’t for Cuban intelligence, Chavez would not be in office … 01/17/10

VE: Venezuela: Go Hugo, Go! 01/19/10

Below the Fold: Instability, Special Operations, Security Forces, Foreign Affairs, Crime

Instability

CO: Colombian Guerrilla Leader Orders Fighters to Retake Corridors 01/19/10

CO: Colombian Guerrillas to Renew Attacks Before Election 01/19/10

HT: Haiti: The View From Here 01/20/10

Special Operations

HT: UN reinforcements sent in to Haiti to crack down on looters 01/19/10

Security Forces

BO: Bolivia plans to buy ten Mi-17 helicopters from Russia. 01/17/10

BO: Bolivia will purchase six China’s fighter jets 01/18/10

CO: Seven Rebels Surrender to Army in Northeast Colombia 01/21/10

EC: Ecuadorian Troops Kill 3 Colombian Rebels in Border Clash 01/21/10

GT: Guatemalan Police Kill Drug Trafficker in Shootout 01/19/10

SV: Police Arrest 2 in El Salvador Grenade Attack 01/18/10

VE: Hugo Chavez tries to show he’s serious about drugs 01/21/10

Foreign Affairs

AA: Obama Authorizes Covert Economic War Against Venezuela 01/19/10

AR: Argentina Opposition Asks President To Recall Congress 01/19/10

BR: Lula Tells Obama Haiti’s UN Mission Led by Brazil Can’t Take Care of Everything 01/18/10

CL: President-Elect Pinera Has Room To Improve Chile Debt Rating 01/19/10

EC: Ecuador’s Correa Starts Year Facing Widespread Protests 01/20/10

GT: Guatemalan President Calls For Unity 01/16/10

HT: Haiti and the Caricom reply 01/18/10

PY: Paraguay thanks Colombia for help in the release of a kidnapped rancher 01/19/10

VE: Chavez foes call voting district changes unfair 01/20/10

Crime

AA: Mexico’s drug war leaves a generation of narco widows 01/20/10

BR: In Stretch to the Olympics Rio Becomes Lab for Genocide and Social Control 01/20/10

GT: Five Slain at Wake in Guatemala 01/19/10

SV: El Salvador Grenade Blast Wounds at Least 20 01/16/10

SV: Escalating Violence Against Anti-Mining Activists in Chiapas and El Salvador 01/19/10

VE: Venezuela to extradite drug boss to US 01/17/10

Hot Topics

AA: Latin America’s Military Factor 01/12/10

BO: Bolivia banks on ‘Coca Colla,’ fizzy coca-leaf drink 01/10/10

CL: Chilean Government to Sue for Human Rights Violation 01/08/10

CL: ‘Chile’s Berlusconi’ looks to the presidency 01/10/10

CO: Chiquita settles Colombia terrorism lawsuits 01/08/10

CO: Colombian Judicial Ruling “Controversial” 01/12/10

CU: Contractor Jailed in Cuba Was Aiding Religious Groups, US Says 01/12/10

CU: Cuba’s `industry of robbery’ 01/08/10

HT: Haiti at a glance 01/13/10

HT: Haiti Hit by Powerful Earthquake; Buildings Damaged 01/12/10

HT: Haiti Quake New Blow for Country Mired in Misery 01/13/10

NI: Nicaraguan election tribunal stands for now: Ortega 01/09/10

VE: Venezuela Devalues “Bolivar Fuerte” 01/13/10

Below the Fold: Instability, Special Operations, Security Forces, Foreign Affairs, Crime

Instability

AA: COLOMBIA: They Were Expendable 01/09/10

GY: Deploying the army in Buxton contributed to instability in Guyana – Granger 01/10/10

HN: Honduras: Entrenched Corruption Stymies Hope 01/11/10

PE: Chief of Peruvian maximum-security prison killed 01/09/10

VE: Chavez says Venezuela jets intercepted U.S. plane 01/09/10

VE: Violence Relentlessly Takes Toll Across Venezuela 01/08/10

Special Operations

HT: Filipino peacekeepers trapped in Haiti 01/13/10

Security Forces

AA: The Militarization of Mexican Police Forces to Continue 01/11/10

JM: Major Gun and Ammo Found at Jamaica’s Port Bustamante 01/13/10

VE: Venezuela to reinforce troops on Colombia border with Russian tanks 01/10/10

Foreign Affairs

AA: Neighbors Challenge Energy Aims in Bolivia 01/10/10

AA: Afghanistan And Colombia: Another Tale Of Two Cities 01/10/10

AA: Venezuela Nixes Potential Aggression to Colombia 01/10/10

AR: Argentine gov’t appeals rulings on central bank 01/09/10

BO: Struggle, continuity and contradiction in Bolivia 01/08/10

BR: Brazil truth commission arouses military opposition 01/10/10

HN: Honduras’ Top Court to Hear Case Against Military 01/11/10

Crime

AA: Crime Rates Rise in Caribbean 01/08/10

AA: Halting drug war corruption: What Mexico can learn from Colombia 01/12/10

AA: NarcoIslam: Hezbollah Traffics Drugs to Finance Terrorism 01/11/10

CO: Colombia: Extrajudicial Executions to Be Clarified 01/09/10

CO: Colombian Paramilitary Leader Sentenced to Prison in US 01/10/10

GT: Guatemala: Ex President of Congress to Trial 01/08/10

JM: Jamaica sets crime record: 1680 killed in 2009 01/10/10

PE: IIAP to open office aimed at combating coca leaf production in isolated region 01/12/10

Hot Topics

AA: Fears grow of South American arms race 01/01/10

AA: South America: Media has become a political battleground 01/03/10

BR: Brazil: Planned Probe into Military Abuses Not About Vengeance 01/02/10

EC: Ecuador’s Correa: Plan Underway To Destabilize Government 01/04/10

HN: Protection for Honduran Journalist Requested 01/03/10

JM: Jamaica Will Monitor Extremist Muslim Cleric 01/04/10

VE: Chavez accuses Colombia, US of plot 01/02/10

VE: Venezuela says US violating airspace from Curacao 12/31/09

Below the Fold: Instability, Special Operations, Security Forces, Foreign Affairs, Crime

Instability

CO: Only six major paramilitary groups left, police say 01/04/10

CO: Colombia rebels, al Qaeda in “unholy” drug alliance 01/04/10

HT: Filipino peacekeepers in Haiti honored 01/02/10

PE: “narco-terrorists” bring economic boom 01/04/10

Special Operations

GT: Guatemalan Police Seize Pseudoephedrine 01/05/10

Security Forces

AA: Tanks, jets, automatic weapons: Scenario for conflict in Latin America 01/04/10

AA: ATF Deploys Spanish eTrace to Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica 01/01/10

BR: Iveco to Supply Military Vehicles to Brazilian Army 01/04/10

CO: Colombian Army Seizes Half-Ton of Explosives from Rebels 01/05/10

CO: Colombian military reports killing 18 leftist guerrillas in two attacks 01/01/10

Foreign Affairs

AA: US diplomacy stumbles in Latin America 01/02/10

BR: Brazil Steers an Independent Course 01/03/10

CO: Uribe insists on US ratification of free trade pact 01/01/10

GY: Guyana’s ruling party says 2009 saw mixed fortunes for its government 01/03/10

Crime

AA: Drug Violence Sends Caribbean Murder Rates Soaring 01/01/10

AR: Landmark Human Rights Case in Argentina Puts Torture on Trial 01/04/10

GT: Guatemala: two charged as “authors” of lawyer’s murder 01/04/10

HN: Son of Honduran army spokesman killed by gunmen 01/02/10

PE: Fujimori 25-year sentence upheld by Peru Supreme Court 01/02/10

TT: ‘PNM relationship with gang leaders’ 01/02/10

AA: Casino Gambling: Russia’s Export to Latin America 12/26/09

AA: Newsweek predicts death of Fidel Castro and coup in Venezuela 12/25/09

AA: Mexico’s civil war has killed more than 15,000 12/28/09

AA: World briefs (Morales Moves to Legalize Coca Plots) 12/27/09

BR: Brazil Aims to Prevent Land Grabs in Amazon 12/26/09

BR: Petrochina and Petrobras join forces to study ethanol production in Brazil 12/28/09

CL: An Independent Candidate Jolts Chile’s Democracy 12/28/09

CO: FARC’s Plan to Booby Trap Colombia 12/27/09

VE: Venezuelan Seeks to Revive anti-Chavez Movement 12/26/09

Below the Fold: Instability, Security Forces, Foreign Affairs, Crime

Instability

AA: Mexico’s Cartel Criminals Manipulate Police Intelligence 12/28/09

SR: Suriname police arrest 35 after deadly clashes 12/28/09

SV: In El Salvador, 2009 was one of the most violent years in history 12/27/09

Security Forces

AA: UK mounts warfare exercise in Falklands 12/28/09

CO: Colombia must update defenses or risk foreign attack: report 12/28/09

GT: Guatemala Seized 5,615 Guns in First 10 Months of 2009 12/27/09

PE: Peru department to get second police dog 12/25/09

PY: Paraguay Arrests Brazilian Drug Trafficker 12/27/09

Foreign Affairs

AA: Colombia Growth in 2010 May Be Cut by Venezuela Trade 12/28/09

PE: Peru Finance Minister: Will Implement Capital Gains Tax Law 12/28/09

VE: Venezuelan president denounces aggression attempt of Colombia, US 12/29/09

Crime

AR: Argentina puts officials on trial over the abuses of the ‘Dirty War’ 12/27/09

CO: FARC linked news agency justifies kidnapping and killing of Colombian governor 12/25/09

SV: Environmentalist Murdered in El Salvador 12/28/09

VE: In Venezuela, Clear and Present Danger Lurks in the Shadow of Chavez 12/27/09

VE: Venezuela Says Prison Conditions ‘Adequate’ For Jailed Judge 12/28/09

AR: Argentina’s Biggest Police Force Under Investigation 12/21/09

BR: VBTP: A New APC for Brazil 12/22/09

PE: PERU TO BUY BRAZILIAN FIGHTER PLANES 12/21/09

Below the Fold: Instability, Special Operations, Security Forces, Foreign Affairs, Crime

Instability

CO: Colombia’s Anti-Government Movements Join Forces 12/18/09

Special Operations

CO: Colombia beefs up forces on border with Venezuela 12/19/09

Security Forces

CO: Colombian Armed Forces identify targets of a possible Venezuelan attack 12/22/09

VE: Chavez launches national police in violent Venezuela 12/20/09

Foreign Affairs

BR: Brazil’s Leaders Wrestle With Truth Commission Investigation 12/22/09

Crime

CO: Colombia’s FARC rebels kill governor, prompting calls for security shift 12/23/09

AR: Argentine ex-spy on trial in deaths of French nuns 12/10/09

BO: EVO MORALES WARNS OF THE DANGER OF US BASES IN COLOMBIA 12/11/09

BR: Brazil to name “Truth committee” to look into torture crimes under military rule 12/15/09

CL: Chilean president appeals for tranquil elections on Sunday 12/11/09

CL: Conservative leads in Chile election 12/14/09

CO: The FARC and the ‘Peace Community’ 12/13/09

CO: The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is still weakening… 12/14/09

CU: Cuba Detains a US Contractor 12/11/09

EC: Ecuador’s Rafael Correa: Copenhagen Climate Hero or Environmental Foe? 12/13/09

HT: Popular candidates kept off ballot in Haiti 12/11/09

PE: Venezuelan journalist asks for political asylum in Peru 12/10/09

SV: El Salvador diplomats plan for US immigration reform 12/13/09

VE: ELN members seek refuge in Venezuela, says Colombia 12/14/09

Below the Fold: Instability, Special Operations, Security Forces, Foreign Affairs, Crime

Instability

CO: If Venezuela Fears Colombian Attack It Admits FARC Presence, Bogota Says 12/12/09

CO: Colombian Guerrillas Kill Police Officer, Wound 6 Others 12/14/09

CO: GRIP Report Implicates Bulgaria in Weapons Trafficking 12/13/09

GT: Allegations of police killings in Guatemala must be investigated 12/15/09

HN: Honduras’ top anti-drug official killed 12/10/09

HT: Haiti’s child-slaves suffer in silence 12/10/09

Special Operations

CO: AFP agents’ war on cocaine 12/13/09

Security Forces

BR: Brazilian president committed to refurbishment of Armed Forces 12/15/09

CO: Nearly 2000 Militiamen Arrested in Colombia in ’09 12/14/09

EC: Ecuador: Report Says US Aided Attack on Rebels 12/10/09

GT: Guatemalan Security Forces Seize Thousands of Weapons 12/14/09

HT: More Colombian police headed to Haiti for UN mission 12/14/09

NI: Avilés Promotion Shows Military’s Strength 12/10/09

SV: El Salvador Arrests 60 alleged Gang Members 12/11/09

Foreign Affairs

AA: Venezuela’s Mercosur entry still uncertain 12/11/09

AR: Argentina’s Opposition Groups Join Forces to Take on Kirchners 12/11/09

AR: Farmers, gov’t lock horns again 12/14/09

CU: Cuba’s Casto hits out at US over Latin America policies 12/14/09

PE: Peru arms buying shows Chinese inroads into S. America 12/11/09

VE: Venezuela’s Chavez sees US ‘threat’ over Iran ties 12/13/09

Crime

AA: Officials: Zetas leader arrested in Matamoros 12/11/09

AA: Turkish police seize cocaine capsules in drug trafficker’s stomach 12/14/09

BR: Fuelling the war in Brazil 12/12/09

GT: Guatemala: Two MSICG Members Assassinated 12/13/09

PE: PERUVIAN PARLIAMENT INVESTIGATES POLICE DEATH SQUAD 12/11/09

VE: In Venezuela, Even Death May Not Bring Peace 12/10/09

AA: Honduras and a Divided Latin America 12/07/09

AA: Thousands demand closing of ‘School of Assassins’ 12/06/09

BO: MORALES SAYS WIN IS FOR THE BOLIVIAN PEOPLE 12/08/09

BO: OAS, EU stress transparency of Bolivia’s general elections 12/06/09

BR: Giuliani to help Rio in pre-Olympic crime fight 12/04/09

CL: Chile President Bachelet’s Approval Drops To 77% In Nov -Poll 12/02/09

EC: Correa vows to ‘erase’ FARC influence from border area 12/06/09

PE: Peru’s fat hangover: Garcia denies police killings 12/04/09

UN: UN-occupied Haiti’s two-faced democracy 12/05/09

VE: Russia prepared to build Kalashnikov arms factory in Venezuela 12/02/09

VE: Chavez Converts Banking Crisis Into Anti-Corruption Drive 12/07/09

Below the Fold: Instability, Special Operations, Security Forces, Foreign Affairs, Crime

Instability

AA: Latin America continues to be a Vulnerable Open Frontier 12/07/09

BR: Drug Traffickers Torch Bus in Brazil 12/02/09

CO: Colombian soldier held by Venezuelan forces 12/04/09

CO: Security Guard Wounded in Guerrilla Attack in Colombia 12/07/09

GT: Mob killings in Guatemala fuel political debate 12/07/09

PE: Peru: Violence Targets Anti-mining Activists 12/07/09

Special Operations

AA: SOUTHCOM Blue, Green Team Leaders Unite 12/03/09

CU: CUBA: Island launches 3 days of intense military exercises 12/03/09

GY: First ever female paratrooper graduates 12/03/09

Security Forces

BR: In Brazil’s Slums, Police Try A Softer Touch 12/02/09

BR: Police Break Up International Ring that Took 4500 Brazilians Illegally to the US 12/07/09

CO: The race to clear Colombia’s landmines 12/06/09

PE: Peru, US review military cooperation agenda 12/03/09

VE: Venezuelan Government Triples Police Wages 12/06/09

Foreign Affairs

AA: Dominican President to Mediate Colombia-Venezuela Conflict 12/02/09

AA: Colombia Military Bases Threaten South America 12/02/09

AA: Mexican president meets Canada’s governor general on bilateral ties 12/07/09

AA: OAS COMMEMORATES PEACE TREATY BETWEEN CHILE AND ARGENTINA 12/04/09

BO: Bolivia rejects ‘savage capitalism’ 12/05/09

CR: Costa Rican Candidates Sharpen Their Messages 12/03/09

HN: Ousted Honduras president sees world support crumble 12/03/09

PE: Chinese naval fleet concludes goodwill port call in Peru 12/08/09

Crime

AA: Organised crime groups flooding Scotland with Brazilian prostitutes 12/05/09

AA: When Crime Comes to Paradise 12/04/09

BR: Brazil church leaders convicted of money smuggling 12/02/09

CL: 6 Accused in 1982 Poisoning Death of Chilean Leader 12/07/09

CO: Alleged Colombian Captors of U.S. Hostage Arrested 12/04/09

GT: Guatemala colonel given 53 years for civil war crime 12/04/09

HT: Italian journalist fatally shot at Haitian bank 12/06/09

SV: Average Daily Murder Rate in El Salvador Falls 12/02/09

VE: Venezuela tackles crime, 20% of which committed by the police force 12/07/09

AA: Calderon: Drugs Can’t Be Eliminated but Crime Can 11/27/09

AA: Ibero-American countries form cross-border crime fighting alliance 11/26/09

BR: Jobs, economics complicate Brazil’s Amazon fight 11/26/09

BR: Iranian Leader’s Visit to Brazil Takes the Gloss off Lula’s International Image 11/29/09

CO: Colombian Warlord Shows Up at Hearing with $100K for Victims 12/01/09

CO: Colombia’s FARC Rebel Leaders Clashing Over Money, Santos Says 11/30/09

CU: Cuba arrests son of late revolutionary leader 11/29/09

HT: Two-faced Democracy in Haiti 11/26/09

UY: Ex-guerrilla easily wins Uruguay presidency 11/30/09

UY: Uruguay May Elect Former Guerrilla Mujica on Vow to Aid Schools 11/26/09

VE: The Bolivarian Revolution and peace 11/27/09

Below the Fold: Instability, Special Operations, Security Forces, Foreign Affairs, Crime

Instability

AA: Border Area Violence & Security Problems in the Americas 11/30/09

BO: Bolivian Reporters Pursued, Shot at by Police 11/28/09

CL: Policeman Dies In More Mapuche Violence In Southern Chile 11/30/09

VE: Venezuela May Destroy Six Bridges on Colombian Border 11/26/09

Special Operations

CO: Police Trained by US to Protect Colombian Candidates 11/26/09

CU: Cuba launches largest military exercise in five years 11/26/09

Security Forces

AA: Op Balkan Warrior to be continued 11/27/09

BO: A navy for a landlocked country 11/26/09

CO: Seven rebels killed in bombing raid in Colombia 11/28/09

CU: Raul Castro praises Cuban army as well prepared 11/28/09

DO: Top general says 2 Brazil intercept planes arrive December 8 11/26/09

Foreign Affairs

AA: United States and Guatemala sign Merida Initiative Agreement 11/26/09

AA: Chavez skips Manaus; hosts Ahmadinejad and Abbas instead 11/28/09

AA: Unasur meeting tackles Colombian-Venezuela spat 11/28/09

HN: Hondurans fearful ahead of disputed polls 11/27/09

HN: Honduras elects Porfirio Lobo as new president 11/29/09

Crime

BO: Drug lords finding safe haven in Bolivia 11/26/09

BR: Man with cocaine capsules in stomach dies at Brazil airport 11/26/09

CO: Colombia jails death squad general over massacre 11/26/09

GT: Guatemala mob kills, burns 3 suspected criminals 11/27/09

AA: Pentagon Manhunters: America’s New Murder, Inc.? 11/23/09

AA: Iran’s military forces stage war games 11/22/09

AR: Argentina forces dirty war orphans to provide DNA 11/20/09

AR: In Argentina, One Person Dies Every 28 Hours from Police Repression 11/21/09

BR: Brazil should use caution 11/25/09

BR: Italian ex-militant ends hunger strike in Brazil 11/24/09

PE: PERU: Parties Thwart Public Demand for Women in Politics 11/24/09

VE: Venezuela: A new phase and greater dangers — which way forward? 11/20/09

VE: Venezuela’s Chavez Calls for International Organisation of Left Parties 11/23/09

VE: Venezuela’s Debt for Russian Weapons and Tanks 11/23/09

Below the Fold: Instability, Special Operations, Security Forces, Foreign Affairs, Crime

Instability

AA: Illegal Weapons Trafficking Grows in Mexico 11/22/09

CL: Chile: Labor Strike Continues In Southern Forestry Industry 11/22/09

CO: Colombian Ombudsman reports joint patrolling of Venezuela troops and guerrillas 11/24/09

CO: Paramilitary violence weakening Democratic Security, study finds 11/23/09

CO: Six killed in Colombia bus attack 11/20/09

NI: Thousands throng rival Nicaragua rallies, 12 injured 11/23/09

Special Operations

HT: Haiti: UN troops shoot again 11/24/09

Security Forces

CL: Chile buying US weapons, radar 11/20/09

CO: Colombia Arrests Hitman Wanted in Spain 11/23/09

EC: Ecuador opens two military outposts on Colombian border 11/24/09

GT: Guatemala Seizes Cargo of Crystal Meth Ingredients 11/20/09

GT: US Anti-Drug Operation Fails in Guatemala 11/24/09

Foreign Affairs

AA: Peru To Protest Chile Arms Purchases, Dressed In White 11/25/09

AA: Colombia, Ecuador resume contact on border security 11/20/09

AA: Venezuela vs. Colombia: Two leaders seek outside mediation 11/22/09

CO: Uribe Censures Demolition of Border Bridges by Venezuela 11/20/09

PE: Peru proposes a South American “peace force” to contain regional conflicts 11/24/09

Crime

AA: Mexican Drug Cartels now Control Cocaine in the Americas 11/22/09

AA: Latam Drug Lords Join Forces with Islamists 11/23/09

AA: Mexico’s rural Mennonites feel impact of drug violence 11/23/09

AA: Woman smuggled cocaine from Venezuela wrapped up in her bikini bottoms 11/22/09

GT: Gangs Demand “Christmas Bonus” from Guatemalan Bus Companies 11/20/09

GT: Guatemalan gangs: swagger, tattoos but no rules 11/23/09

VE: Venezuelan Government Takes Over Four Banks and Arrests Owner 11/22/09