COLUMN | President Trump Against Latin American Organized Crime

It has recently come to light that the U.S. government has ordered its national defense and security organization, which includes the CIA’s special intelligence operations, to neutralize or destroy Latin American criminal organizations that have been categorized as foreign terrorist organizations. This has understandably generated various reactions and nervousness in governments such as those of Chile, Mexico, and Colombia, which have not been very effective to date in combating organized crime.

This instruction from President Trump accompanies the $50 million reward placed on Nicolas Maduro, as well as a series of actions that have been underway since the beginning of the year regarding border closures and controls by the armed forces, and the use of the National Guard to manage disorder and high levels of crime in major cities such as Washington and Los Angeles.

In his actions, President Trump is utilizing all the instruments of state power, including economic sanctions, tariffs, asset freezes, withdrawal of economic and military support, and, if necessary, the use of force, which was recently applied to Iran after concluding that previous measures had not yielded the expected results.

Why does President Trump do what he does? He does it because he and his security organization believe that Latin American criminal organizations are jeopardizing the national security of the country he leads, in the same way that similar decisions were made regarding Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and other Islamic fundamentalist organizations, which from that moment became targets of the U.S. military and intelligence apparatus. We all know how they ended and the fate that befell their members.

What should we expect for Latin America? First, local governments should apply themselves and try to demonstrate that they are doing more regarding the fight against organized crime to avoid inciting President Trump’s wrath. The pressure that the United States can exert is significant and very effective. If this does not work, they will tighten the screws and conduct some demonstrations of special intelligence operations in the immediate neighborhoods to make it clear to everyone that this is an issue that matters to them, and it matters a lot.

They will not conduct military invasions, they will not invade countries, they will not apply the old and well-known Monroe Doctrine, but they will use all their capabilities and technologies to neutralize or destroy threats to their national security. They will do so without hesitation. Already