JGI Policy Newsletter Catalog

Topics / Spotlights

Below is an archive of resources and literature from our weekly newsletter. To sign up to our newsletter, please send a request through our contact form at the top right or clicking here.

Week of May 25, 2026
— Podcast – The Mexico-U.S. Relationship’s Most Delicate Phase: Americas Quarterly

— Podcast – USMCA Review and Autos with Jennifer Safavian: Center for Strategic and International Studies

— Podcast – What Trump and Lula Want from U.S.–Brazil Ties: Council of the Americas

— Video – Cuba has acquired over 300 military drones: FOX – featuring Dr. Brian Fonseca, FIU-JGI Director and FIU Vice Provost for Defense and National Security Research

— Video – Expert who wrote about “Thucydides trap” reacts to Xi Jinping warning to Trump about U.S. and China: Harvard Belfer Center

— Video – Could US Military Action Against Cuba Look Like?: Newsweek – featuring Dr. Brian Fonseca, FIU-JGI Director and FIU Vice Provost for Defense and National Security Research

— Video – Inside the US strategy to indict Cuba’s Raul Castro: USA Today – featuring Randy Pestana, FIU-JGI Director of National Security Policy and Strategic Engagement

— Regional Highlight – Venezuela’s Citgo and the Strategic Stakes for U.S. Policy: Americas Quarterly – Authored by Dr. Brian Fonseca, Director of FIU’s Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy

— Regional Highlight – Vladimir Rouvinsky: Moscow promotes politicians “who can favour the Russian position”: Expediente Publico

— Regional Highlight – Latin America Risk Report: Inter-American Dialogue

— Regional Highlight – Friday Reading List – 22 May 2026: LATAM Risk Report

— Cuba – Trump in Latin America: DOJ Unseals Castro Indictment as Pressure Builds on Havana: Council of the Americas

— Cuba – After the Castro indictment, what is Trump’s endgame in Cuba?: Atlantic Council

— Cuba – U.S.-Cuba Relations: Council on Foreign Relations

— Cuba – U.S. closes ranks against Raul Castro: Expediente Publico

— Cuba – Cuba: Malnutrition as a punishment for political prisoners: Expediente Publico

— China, Russia, and Iran – For U.S.-China Rivalry, Panama Needs a Real Plan: Americas Quarterly

— China, Russia, and Iran – Golden Dome is the missile defense the US needs: Atlantic Council

— China, Russia, and Iran – Why Are More U.S. Allies Exploring Ties with China?: Council on Foreign Relations

— China, Russia, and Iran – The Peru F-16 Sale: The Relationship Between Partner Politics, Extra-Hemispheric Adversaries, and US Defense Access: Evan Ellis Substack

— Crime – Coordinated Operations Reshape Ecuador’s Approach to Transnational Crime: Dialogo Americas

— Crime – Tracking the Shadow Fleet: How Maritime Enforcement Is Evolving in the Hemisphere: Dialogo Americas

— Crime – GLACSED: A New Regional Framework to Combat Organized Crime in Latin America and the Caribbean: Dialogo Americas

— Crime – New Map of Organized Crime in Brazil: Dialogo Americas

— Crime – On the Radar: Alex Saab’s Deportation, Colombian Elections, and Sinaloa Cartel Investigations: InSight Crime

— Crime – Venezuela Says It is Fighting Organized Crime. Is It?: InSight Crime

— Crime – Paraguay Jails Ex-Senator Over Ties to Drug Kingpin Marset: Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project

— Crime – Colombia Seizes Belgian Aristocrat’s Hotel Empire: Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project

— Crime – ‘It’s Just Business’: Texts Reveal the Daily Work — and Drama — of an International Cocaine Syndicate: Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project

— Cyber, AI, and Space – Space Conference of the Americas: Space Challenges Know No Borders: Dialogo Americas

— Elections – Peru’s 2026 Presidential Candidates: Keiko Fujimori and Roberto Sánchez: Council of the Americas

— Foreign Policy and Engagement – U.S., Latin American Leaders Examine Issues Shaping Hemisphere at Washington Conference: Council of the Americas
Week of May 18, 2026
— Podcast – Unpacking Peru’s First-Round Elections: Center for Strategic and International Studies

— Podcast – LatAm in Focus: What Trump and Lula Want from U.S.–Brazil Ties: Council of the Americas

— Podcast – El Jardinero Gets Trimmed by Mexican Authorities: Zeihan on Geopolitics

— Regional Highlight – Friday Reading List – 15 May 2026: Latin America Risk Report

— Regional Highlight – Latin America Advisor: Inter-American Dialogue

— China, Russia, and Iran – Trump in Latin America: The Hemisphere’s Position on the U.S.–China Chessboard: Council of the Americas

— China, Russia, and Iran – The Promise and Peril of U.S.-China Summitry: What Xi Wants From Trump—and Trump Might Get From Xi: Foreign Affairs

— China, Russia, and Iran – China’s Science and Technology Strategy in Perspective: RAND

— Crime – Biofuels’ Boom Meets Brazil’s Criminal Frontier: Americas Quarterly

— Crime – Efforts Grow to Counter China’s Expanding Distant-Water Fishing Fleet: Dialogo Americas

— Crime – From Isolation to Integration: Venezuela’s Emerging Role in Regional Counter-TCO Efforts: Dialogo Americas

— Crime – Gold from the Amazon: How Illegal Mining Fuels and Expands Organized Crime in the Guiana Shield: Dialogo Americas

— Crime – Guatemala Strengthens Border Security Through Expanded Operational Capabilities: Dialogo Americas

— Crime – What Spain’s Record Cocaine Bust Says About the Drug Trade: InSight Crime

— Crime – How AI Illuminated Tren de Aragua’s Money Laundering Methods: InSight Crime

— Crime – Meet the First Costa Ricans to Be Extradited on Drug Charges to the US: InSight Crime

— Economics and Trade – A Latin American Model for Dealing with Rising Gasoline Prices: Americas Quarterly

— Economics and Trade – The New Trade Order: Restoring Balance to a Broken Global Economy: Foreign Affairs

— Economics and Trade – How to Fight an Economic War: A Field Manual for a Ruptured World: Foreign Affairs

— Economics and Trade – State-Level Overview of U.S. Trade With Brazil: Inter-American Dialogue

— Economics and Trade – Why Gold Continues to Endure: World Politics Review

— Elections – Colombia’s 2026 Presidential Candidates: Cepeda, De la Espriella, and Valencia: Council of the Americas

— Foreign Policy and Engagement – How Are Perceptions of the U.S.-Mexico Relationship Changing?: Center for Strategic and International Studies

— Foreign Policy and Engagement – Readiness Through Partnership: LAMAT 2026 Delivers Care in Saint Lucia: Dialogo Americas

— Politics and Governance – Why Are Milei’s Approval Ratings Falling in Argentina?: Inter-American Dialogue
Week of May 11, 2026
— Podcast – Colombia’s High-Stakes Election: Americas Quarterly

— Regional Highlight – Latin American Advisor: Inter-American Dialogue

— Regional Highlight – Friday Reading List – 8 May 2026: Latin American Risk Report

— Regional Highlight – Irregular migration, a good business for organized crime: Expediente Publico

— Regional Highlight – New ‘engines’ of organized crime in Latin America: Expediente Publico

— Regional Highlight – China, Russia and Iran intervene in key sectors in Latin America: Expediente Publico

— Regional Highlight – China and Russia threaten Latin America’s maritime sovereignty: Expediente Publico

— Regional Highlight – Latin America, the stage for competition between the great powers: Expediente Publico

— Regional Highlight – Political Transition in Cuba and Venezuela Discussed at Hemispheric Security Conference: Exepdiente Publico

— China, Russia, and Iran – The New Critical Minerals Map: Foreign Policy

— China, Russia, and Iran – China Is Transforming Brazil’s Car Market: Foreign Policy

— China, Russia, and Iran – China’s Science and Technology Strategy in Perspective: RAND

— Crime – There is Nowhere to Hide: Joint Operation Tridente Chokes Off Narcoterrorism in the Eastern Pacific: Dialogo Americas

— Crime – How Organized Crime Is Reinventing Money Laundering in Latin America: Dialogo Americas

— Crime – Bolivia’s Role in South America’s Drug Networks Deepens as Trafficking Dynamics Evolve: Dialogo Americas

— Crime – How Influencers Launder Money for Criminal Groups: InSight Crime

— Cime – Mapping Out US Alleged Drug Boat Strikes: InSight Crime

— Crime – Ecuador Says Extortion Is Down. The Reality Is More Complicated.: InSight Crime

— Cyber and AI – Brazil’s Digital Governance Moment: Inter-American Dialogue

— Economics and Trade – Why Are Levels of Household Debt Escalating in Brazil?: Inter-American Dialogue

— Economics and Trade – 2026 Latin American and Caribbean Macroeconomic Report: Resilience and Growth Prospects in a Shifting Global Economy: Inter-American Development Bank

— Elections – In Colombia’s Election, Two Conservatives Fight to Face Cepeda: Americas Quarterly

— Elections – Peru’s Chaotic Election — and Some Reasons for Hope: Americas Quarterly

— Energy – Colombia’s Anti-Fossil Fuel Conference: Foreign Policy

— Foreign Policy and Engagement – Costa Rica’s paradox of political continuity: Atlantic Council

— Foreign Policy and Engagement – Coordinated Operations and Regional Cooperation Drive Mexico’s Security Gains: Dialogo Americas

— Foreign Policy and Engagement – Southern Vanguard 2026: Strengthening Regional Cooperation in the Amazon: Dialogo Americas

— Foreign Policy and Engagement – Nicaragua’s Democratic Crisis: Consolidation of Authoritarian Rule and the Future of U.S. Policy: Inter-American Dialogue
Week of May 4, 2026
— Podcast – Is China’s military as strong as it looks?: Brookings

— Video – On the Radar: Drug Lords, Dissident Groups, and Airstrikes in Latin America: InSight Crime

— Regional Highlight – Trump in Latin America: U.S. Indicts Mexican Governor, Condemns China’s Panama Action: Council of the Americas

— Regional Highlight – LATAM Advisor: Inter-American Dialogue

— Regional Highlight – Friday Reading List – 1 May 2026: Latin American Risk Report

— Regional Highlight – Trump’s ‘Venezuela Playbook’ Is a Bad Fit for Cuba: World Politics Review

— Regional Highlight – Venezuela Is Consolidating Its Hybrid Regime—With Washington’s Blessing: World Politics Review

— China, Russia, and Iran – China’s “Fake” De-Dollarization: Council on Foreign Relations

— China, Russia, and Iran – Chancay Port: A Geopolitical Challenge for Peru: Dialogo Americas

— China, Russia, and Iran – Peru Under Pressure: Illegal Mining, Illicit Exports, and China’s Role in Expanding Criminal Supply Chains: Dialogo Americas

— China, Russia, and Iran – Chinese Eyes, Iranian Missiles: Intelligence Cooperation in the US/Israel–Iran War 2026: Irregular Warfare Initiative

— China, Russia, and Iran – Can China Stop Its Demographic Slide? Can the United States?: RAND

— Crime – Colombia-Brazil Cooperation in the Amazon Delivers Results Against Transnational Crime: Dialogo Americas

— Crime – InSight Crime’s 2025 Cocaine Seizure Round-Up: InSight Crime

— Crime – The InSight Take: Rubén Rocha Moya’s Alleged Sinaloa Cartel Ties Highlight Criminal Governance in Mexico: InSight Crime

— Crime – Who Is ‘El Jardinero,’ the CJNG Power Broker Arrested in Mexico?: InSight Crime

— Crime – Is Mexico Running out of Kingpins?: InSight Crime

— Cyber and AI – The AGI Rideout Strategy for Reducing Strategic Risk and Promoting Stability in the Transition to Artificial General Intelligence: RAND

— Economics and Trade – LatAm in Focus: Mercosur, EU, and the New Frontiers of Free Trade: Council of the Americas

— Economics and Trade – What Is the Future of U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade?: Council on Foreign Relations

— Elections – How Colombia can reduce security threats ahead of its presidential election: Atlantic Council

— Elections – Colombia Elects 2026: Ongoing Coverage of the Presidential Race—Security in the Spotlight: Council of the Americas

— Elections – How Interested Is Venezuela in Holding Elections?: Inter-American Dialogue

— Elections – False Claims of Election Fraud Put Peru’s Democracy on Its Last Legs: World Politics Review

— Foreign Policy and Engagement – CENTAM Guardian 2026 Strengthens Readiness and Interoperability: Dialogo Americas

— Foreign Policy and Engagement – LAMAT 2026: US Air Force Medics Deliver Care in the Amazon: Dialogo Americas

— Foreign Policy and Engagement – Why International Order Still Matters: World Politics Review
Week of April 27, 2026
— Regional Highlight – Beyond Venezuela and Cuba: The U.S. Military’s Future Operations in the Western Hemisphere: Center for Strategic and International Studies

— Regional Highlight – Governing Antarctica in 2026: Center for Strategic and International Studies

— Regional Highlight – Trump in Latin America: Greer in Mexico, F-16s in Peru, State Dept in Cuba: Council of the Americas

— Regional Highlight – From the Caribbean to the Pacific coast of South America: Undersea Cables and China’s Strategic Control of Information Flows: FIU Policy Innovation Series – Co-authored by Martin Brown (JGI Research Assistant)

— Regional Highlight – LATAM Risk Report: Inter-American Dialogue

— Crime – South American Crime Groups Are Going for Gold: Inter-American Dialogue

— Cyber, AI, and Space – International Collaboration Took the United States Back to the Moon: Center for Strategic and International Studies

— Cyber, AI, and Space – What Comes Next for Artemis?: Center for Strategic and International Studies

— Ecuador Security Situation – Shadow Partners: China’s Collaboration with Terrorist Groups to Plunder Venezuela’s Strategic Minerals: Dialogo Americas

— Ecuador Security Situation – Ecuador: Country Overview and U.S. Relations: Congressional Research Service

— Ecuador Security Situation – Lobos: InSight Crime

— Ecuador Security Situation – The U.S. is designating Ecuador’s largest gangs as terrorists: NPR

— Ecuador Security Situation – Maximizing Impact Through Coordinated Security and Counterdrug Cooperation in Ecuador: Center for Strategic and International Studies

— Ecuador Security Situation – In the Eye of the Storm: Ecuador’s Compounding Crises: Center for Strategic and International Studies

— Ecuador Security Situation – Ecuador’s Security Challenges and the Government’s Response: Evan Ellis

— Ecuador Security Situation – Pressure rises on Ecuador’s government to rein in escalating gang violence: ACLED

— Ecuador Security Situation – Paradise Lost? Ecuador’s Battle with Organised Crime: International Crisis Group

— Ecuador Security Situation – Ecuador’s criminal crisis: The fragmentation of criminal groups has driven Ecuador into a new cycle of violence: Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

— Elections – Colombia Elects 2026: Ongoing Coverage of the Presidential Race—Cepeda Proposes a Debate: Council of the Americas

— Elections – Ground Truth: Elections 2026 | Monthly Assessment (April Edition): Inter-American Dialogue

— Foreign Policy and Engagement – Abed: “The Western Hemisphere, particularly Mexico, has a unique opportunity to reiterate the importance of the interdependence of the bilateral relationship, of the importance of North America.”: Inter-American Dialogue

— Foreign Policy and Engagement – Will Kast Bring a New Era for Chile-Argentina Ties?: Inter-American Dialogue

— Politics and Governance – The Gray Tide: Latin America’s Demographic Transformation: Americas Quarterly
Week of April 20, 2026
— Economics and Trade – A New Test for Peru’s Economic Resilience: Americas Quarterly

— Economics and Trade – Trump in Latin America: A Brazil-ICE Row, Sanctions Lifted on Venezuelan Banks: Council of the Americas

— Economics and Trade – IMF and World Bank’s April 2026 Update: Latin America’s Economic Outlook: Council of the Americas

— Elections – The Voters Flávio Bolsonaro Still Needs: Americas Quarterly

— Elections – Peru Elects 2026: Ongoing Coverage of the Presidential Race: Council of the Americas

— Migration – The first Colombians expelled en masse from Chile arrived in Bogotá: why Kast’s government took them out of the country: Infobae

— Migration – Petro announced that he will travel to Caracas on April 24 and proposed a “transitional government” in Venezuela: Infobae
Week of April 13, 2026
— Podcast – Javier Milei’s Ups and Downs: Americas Quarterly

— Video – On the Radar: Do Crackdowns Work?: InSight Crime

— Video – AI and the Rewiring of Organized Crime: Small Wars Journal

— Video – The End of the WTO: Zeihan on Geopolitics

— Regional Highlight – Can the Donroe Doctrine Help Deliver Stability in Haiti?: Americas Quarterly

— Regional Highlight – Preparing for the Consequences of Collapse in Cuba: Center for Strategic and International Studies

— Regional Highlight – Friday Reading List: 10 April 2026: LATAM Risk Report

— China, Russia, and Iran – The Kast Administration in Chile: Pursuing Washington’s Goodwill and China’s Money: Evan Ellis Substack

— China, Russia, and Iran – The Iranian Revolution and the Expansion of Terrorism in Latin America: Dialogo Americas

— China, Russia, and Iran – China’s Pressure Playbook: Panama and a Pattern of Economic Coercion: Dialogo Americas

— China, Russia, and Iran – How the Iran War Will Upend the Global Economy: The Risk Is Not Just an Energy Shock—but Also a Debt Crisis: Foreign Policy

— China, Russia, and Iran – America and China at the Edge of Ruin A Last Chance to Step Back From the Brink: Foreign Policy

— China, Russia, and Iran – Hormuz and the Oil Price Shock: Another Cost of the War in Iran: Inter-American Dialogue

— China, Russia, and Iran – What Are the Effects of the Iran War on Agriculture?: Inter-American Dialogue

— China, Russia, and Iran – Quantum Power Parity: The Next Front in U.S.–China Strategic Competition: Small Wars Journal

— China, Russia, and Iran – Writing A New Chapter in the Army’s “Jungle Book”: How the U.S. Can Gain Three Birds via Panama’s Hand and Leave China in the Bush: Small Wars Journal

— Crime – A Weakened Hezbollah Remains a Threat in Latin America: Dialogo Americas

— Crime – Firepower vs. Drug Flows: What Has US Military Might Achieved in the Caribbean?: InSight Crime

— Crime – From Drug Dealer to the Sinaloa Cartel’s Highest-Ranking Woman: InSight Crime

JGI Policy Newsletter Catalog

Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing

Ilicit Actors Use of Drones and Technology

Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Policies and Efforts in Central and South America

Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Trafficking

China’s Dominance in Latin America and the Caribbean’s Critical Mineral Sector

Venezuela and Cuba: Future Scenarios, Risks, and Strategic Opportunities

China’s Activities in Latin America

Malign State Actors Cooperation with Venezuela

Arms Trafficking Threat (Central America)

Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Drugs (Central America)

Hurricane Melissa – Jamaica Recovery and Resources

Migration and the Threat of Extremism (Central America)

JGI Policy Newsletter Catalog

Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing

Ilicit Actors Use of Drones and Technology

Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Policies and Efforts in Central and South America

Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Trafficking

China’s Dominance in Latin America and the Caribbean’s Critical Mineral Sector

Venezuela and Cuba: Future Scenarios, Risks, and Strategic Opportunities

China’s Activities in Latin America

Malign State Actors Cooperation with Venezuela

Arms Trafficking Threat (Central America)

Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Drugs (Central America)

Hurricane Melissa – Jamaica Recovery and Resources

Migration and the Threat of Extremism (Central America)

JGI Policy Newsletter Catalog

Week of May 25, 2026

Week of May 18, 2026

Week of May 11, 2026

Week of May 4, 2026

Week of April 27, 2026

Week of April 20, 2026

Week of April 13, 2026