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Articles by Rubi Bledsoe
Mexico: A Pivotal State on the Global Stage
This brief is part of a larger project on the Global South, led by the Brzezinski Chair in Global Security and Geostrategy. It includes an edited volume entitled Fulcrums of Order: Rising States and the Struggle for the Future. You can find more about the project here.
When Crime Becomes Terror: Rethinking the FTO Designation
The FTO designation raises the cost of participation by exposing cartel members to heightened surveillance, financial scrutiny, and, in extreme cases, U.S. kinetic action. BY RUBI BLEDSOE The seven targeted attacks on “go fast” boats allegedly carrying illicit drugs in the Caribbean awakened discussions in the policy and legal communities on the legality of the strikes.
Pentagon Announces a New Counternarcotics Task Force in the Caribbean
As part of the growing force posture in the Caribbean, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the Department of Defense’s formation of a Counternarcotics Task Force, to be led by the U.S. Marine Corps Second Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF) based out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The Trump administration has focused intensely on countering criminal groups in Latin America and the Caribbean, many of which have recently been designated as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs).
When Crime Becomes Terror: Rethinking the FTO Designation
The seven targeted attacks on “go fast” boats allegedly carrying illicit drugs in the Caribbean awakened discussions in the policy and legal communities on the legality of the strikes. While the long-term implications of designating cartels and other criminal organizations, typically considered transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) are still unknown, some significant practical differences and similarities should be further examined.
Latin America’s Role in De-Risking Semiconductor Supply Chains
Semiconductor supply chain advantages and challenges of Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Paraguay. BY RYAN C. BERG AND RUBI BLEDSOE While the semiconductor supply chain currently spans several continents, China has made efforts to develop a self-sufficient semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem through industrial policies such as “Made in China 2025,” which presents a direct strategic and economic challenge to the United States.
Latin America’s Role in De-Risking Semiconductor Supply Chains
Costa Rica Sometimes known as the “Silicon Jungle,” Costa Rica has established itself as a tech hub in Latin America, offering a strategic advantage in semiconductor manufacturing. It is home to over a dozen semiconductor-related companies operating within free trade zones (FTZs), which offer competitive tax and business incentives.
The Role of Social Media in Cartel Recruitment
In a U.S. Southern Command Posture Statement to Congress, Navy Admiral Craig S. Faller made the point that “we can’t interdict our way out of the narcotics problem”—a conclusion reverberated by his successor, Army General Laura Richardson.
The Maduro Regime Held Another Sham Election-What Happens Now?
On May 25, Venezuela held regional and parliamentary elections. Amid an environment of political repression, piddling voter turnout, and a boycott by the mainstream opposition, the regime claimed a handy victory with more than 80 percent of the vote.
What Is the Significance of Venezuela’s Naval Incursion into Guyana?
On March 1, a Venezuelan warship entered Guyana’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), approached the Liza Destiny, an ExxonMobil oil facility, and demanded information from its crew. This provoked another escalation in the long-running conflict between the two countries. Guyana—with support from the broader international community—condemned the incursion and mobilized its own military, pledging to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict but promising to protect the nation’s sovereignty.
Understanding the Impact of Remittances on Mexico’s Economy and Safeguarding Their Future Impact
The Issue Beyond providing supplemental income for Mexican households, remittances—funds sent by migrants to friends and families in their home country—provide a stable flow of developmental finance to the poorest subregions of the country, which have not historically benefited from international capital flows, such as development aid or foreign direct investment.
“Tough on the Weak, Lenient on the Powerful”
Latin America has witnessed some of the homicide rates in the world, largely driven by gang violence and transnational criminal groups. Throughout the Western Hemisphere, states have experimented with many types of security policies; however, one stands out for its political popularity and the frequency with which it is employed—mano dura. Mano dura is defined by experts Lucía Dammert et al.
Why Are Latin American Dictators Seeking Membership in BRICS+?
From October 22–24, 2024, BRICS nations—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—met in the Russian city of Kazan for their highly anticipated yearly summit. While BRICS summits rarely produce groundbreaking final documents, a product of their internal diversity, this summit was notable for several developments. It saw the addition of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for their first summit.
The Elected Autocrat: Why Rigged Elections Matter
On September 7, Algeria’s National Independent Election Authority (ANIE) announced that incumbent president Abdelmadjid Tebboune won reelection with an overwhelming 94.7 percent of the vote. The landslide victory surprised no one in a country where elections are a formality and there exists little space for independent political expression.
Driving Change: How EVs Are Reshaping China’s Economic Relationship with Latin America?
The Issue Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are navigating a new geopolitical moment. Some LAC countries are benefitting from increased access to low-cost, high-quality electric vehicles (EVs) and new investment throughout the value chain from China that can help meet governments’ climate and economic objectives.
Why Ecuador’s Security Crisis Demands Global Action
Introduction From January 22 to February 1, 2024, Ecuador received visits by the commander of the United States Southern Command, the deputy assistant secretary of the Office of Counternarcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, the U.S. special presidential advisor for the Americas, and mayors of a number of European port cities acutely affected by drug trafficking, such as Antwerp, Hamburg, and Rotterdam. This came after an eruption of violence in Ecuador in early January.
Claudia Sheinbaum: The Most Powerful Woman in the World?
Mexico’s June 2 elections not only yielded an overwhelming and historic victory for Claudia Sheinbaum, but they also laid the foundation for her path to govern without many barriers for the next three years, and with the potential for that to continue throughout her presidency. Sheinbaum overperformed on Sunday, receiving nearly 60 percent of the votes, winning every state and federal entity but one, and surpassing her mentor’s 2018 victory.
The Essequibo Pressure Cooker: Runaway Nationalism and Maduro’s Compellence Strategy
As domestic challenges to Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela have mounted, he has doubled down on a compellence strategy against Guyana that is full of escalation risks and potential for miscalculation. Since February 9, when CSIS last reported on Venezuela’s military activities near the Essequibo, Maduro has ordered the Venezuelan military to deploy weapons and equipment and increase its state of readiness on Guyana’s doorstep.
In the Eye of the Storm: Ecuador’s Compounding Crises
More than any country in Latin America, Ecuador has been caught in the crosshairs of increasing violence related to changing patterns of transnational organized crime. Given Ecuador borders the world’s top producers of coca, Colombia, and Peru, it was only a matter of time before the country began to play an important logistical role in the global cocaine trade.
Análise | Como a Rússia tenta influenciar a América Latina em relação à guerra na Ucrânia
Agora em seu terceiro ano, a invasão russa à Ucrânia continua a reverberar por toda América Latina e Caribe (ALC), região que permanece em grande medida escanteada geopoliticamente em relação à guerra.
How Russia Tries to Sway Latin America on Ukraine
Reading Time: 5 minutes Now in its third year, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to have ripple effects throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, which remains largely on the geopolitical sidelines when it comes to the confrontation.
Two Years Later: LAC and Russia’s War in Ukraine
While Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) governments may be geographically removed from what many regional leaders consider an internal European conflict, the region has not been spared from the war’s economic and geopolitical repercussions. In the two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many countries continue their pursuit of nonalignment, neither condemning Russia for the invasion nor fully supporting Ukraine.
Miscalculation and Escalation over the Essequibo: New Insights into the Risks of Venezuela's Compellence Strategy
Audio Brief A short, spoken-word summary from CSIS’s Christopher Hernandez-Roy on his commentary with Rubi Bledsoe, Henry Ziemer, Joseph S.
Cocaine's Path from South America Across the Caribbean to Europe
The global cocaine trade has seen seismic shifts in the last decade as drug traffickers looked beyond the United States to set their sights on more lucrative markets in Europe. Cocaine consumption in Europe has increased significantly over the last decade. The rise of cocaine has caused an unprecedented wave of drug-related violence across Europe, especially in port cities like Rotterdam. As drug use has increased, so have drug-overdose deaths.
Cocaine's Path from South America Across the Caribbean to Europe
The global cocaine trade has seen seismic shifts in the last decade as drug traffickers looked beyond the United States to set their sights on more lucrative markets in Europe. Cocaine consumption in Europe has increased significantly over the last decade. The rise of cocaine has caused an unprecedented wave of drug-related violence across Europe, especially in port cities like Rotterdam. As drug use has increased, so have drug-overdose deaths.
Divergent Approaches to Development
In March 2023, Honduras formally established diplomatic relations with China, ending an eight-decade alliance with Taiwan. This reduced the number of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies to just 13 countries. While over half of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies remain in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the People's Republic of China (PRC) is making strides toward its goal of isolating Taiwan in the region, with Honduras being the most recent example.
Ensuring Information Integrity in Electoral Processes in the Americas
Introduction On June 20, 2023, the permanent Mission of Canada to the Organization of American States, in partnership with its counterparts from the United States and Chile, organized an ad hoc expert discussion titled “Ensuring Information Integrity and Countering Disinformation in Electoral Processes” to discuss the challenges presented by disinformation in electoral processes.
Building Barriers and Bridges: The Need for International Cooperation to Counter the Caribbean-Europe Drug Trade
Low interdiction levels in Europe further provide traffickers the opportunity to introduce more cocaine for distribution throughout the continent. For comparison, since the 1970s, the United States has devoted large budgets to tackle the supply side of cocaine flow.
Can North America Become a Semiconductor Powerhouse?
From May 18 to 19, 2023, industry representatives, academics, and government representatives from the United States, Mexico, and Canada gathered in Washington, D.C., for first North American Semiconductor Conference (NASC).
Are Petro and Biden Syncing? Key Takeaways from the Bilateral Meeting
In what seemed like a spur-of-the-moment decision, President Biden invited Colombian president Gustavo Petro to meet last Thursday, April 20. The White House joint statement highlighted similarities between the two presidents, including their commitments to climate change, migration, economic prosperity, the promotion of peace, and holistic counternarcotics strategies, as well as the roles of their respective countries as the two oldest democracies in the hemisphere.
Democracy Dies under Mano Dura: Anti-crime Strategies in the Northern Triangle
Introduction A journalist recently made an apt joke about living under President Daniel Ortega’s dictatorship: “Hi, I am from Nicaragua, and I represent your future. I am living what you will be experiencing soon enough: harassment, persecution, and threats to your lives and imprisonment,” he said to a group of Northern Triangle colleagues by way of introduction.
A Hesitant Hemisphere: How Latin America Has Been Shaped by the War in Ukraine
The principle of nonintervention in the affairs of another country has deep roots in Latin America. Born out of U.S. intervention in the region in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and solidified during the Cold War, the principle remains potent today and is evident in the region’s reaction to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
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