After another eventful week of foreign policy news, the weekend is finally upon us. Here’s a quick list of some of the more interesting news and commentary articles from this week. Like the rest of Drugs and Thugs Blog, the topics addressed will focus on narcotics trafficking, international criminal organizations, insurgencies, and terrorism.
Operation Archimedes: From OCCRP, a report that over 1,000 organized crime associates were arrested earlier this week in Europe and Colombia. Touted as the largest ever international action against organized crime, this operation also seized large quantities of narcotics, stolen cars, and cash.
Beltran Leyva Captured: From Daniel Hernandez at Vice News, analysis on the recent capture of Beltran Leyva Cartel leader Hector Beltran Leyva. This is the highest profile cartel capture by Mexican authorities since Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was captured earlier this spring. The largest concern is the potential for increased violence as the group further fractures and as the Beltran Leyva territory is taken over by other cartels.
Show Me the Money: From The Washington Institute’s Matthew Levitt, a striking realization that US financial abilities are unable to truly harm ISIS’s financing. Because they do not rely on foreign donations, they are much less susceptible to Treasury sanction designations or other financial tools. To eliminate ISIS’s funding, the criminal networks inside Iraq need to be targeted.
Boko Haram Leader Alive: From Foreign Policy’s Passport blog, news that Boko Haram's leader Abubakar Shekau, initially thought to have been killed two weeks ago, is still alive. In the released video, he announces his formation of an Islamic caliphate in Nigeria, then literally gives the middle finger to those who claimed he had been killed.
The Syrian Proxy War: From The Washington Post’s David Ignatius, a report from an Istanbul command center for the proxy war being waged in Syria by various foreign powers, especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Ignatius notes that as long as these nations are operating through different proxy militias, it will be near impossible to coordinate the fall of Assad.
For comments, thoughts, concerns or criticism, please email me at conormlarkin@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter @ConorMLarkin (Drugs And Thugs Blog)
Enjoy the weekend, and thanks for reading.
No comments:
Post a Comment