Understanding the role of Organized Crime in Rising Violence in Traditionally Peaceful Latin American Countries

The International Crisis Group is an independent, non-profit organization that conducts field-based research and provides policy advice to prevent and resolve violent conflict worldwide. In Latin America, countries long perceived as relatively peaceful, such as Costa Rica, Argentina, and Chile, are now experiencing rising levels of violence that appear increasingly linked to the expansion of organized crime. Transnational criminal networks are exploiting governance gaps, corruption, and economic inequality to embed themselves in local territories, reshape narcotics supply chains, and fuel new patterns of homicide, extortion, and community-level insecurity.

In this Capstone, students will investigate how organized crime groups operate in these countries, where they are present, and which parts of the drug commodity chain are located in each context, connecting those activities to observed violence. Using desk research, interviews with stakeholders such as officials, journalists, and civil society, and quantitative analysis of crime and governance data, the team will identify key drivers and enabling conditions behind this spread. The project will culminate in concrete, context-sensitive recommendations for governments, civil society, and international partners on how to prevent further destabilization and strengthen early warning and community-based responses.