Cracking Down on Crime: Why the Old Ways Won't Work

The U. S. government has been focusing on organized crime in Latin America. They see it as a big threat. Recently, they captured Nicolás Maduro. They called it a law-enforcement operation against a \"narco-terrorist network. \" This gives them a reason to use force in places like Mexico and Colombia. But using force might not be the best idea. Cartels are not what they used to be. They are not just in one place. They are part of big, global criminal networks. These networks are hard to break. They involve trade, money, and technology. They can last longer than any government. In Latin America, groups like Brazil's Primeiro Comando da Capital and Mexico's Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación control many things. They control neighborhoods, prisons, and local economies. But they don't stop there. They work with groups in other parts of the world. They launder money in places like Dubai. They get chemicals from China to make drugs.Politicians in Latin America have not kept up. Some promise to crack down hard. But this often doesn't work. It fills cemeteries but doesn't touch the cartels' money. Others offer social programs. But these can't compete with what the cartels offer. The rise of these criminal groups is about more than just crime. It's about how they govern themselves. In the legal world, trade depends on laws and courts. But in the criminal world, it's different. They have to make their own rules. They have to trust each other. If they don't, their networks can fall apart. Take Brazil's P. C. C. In some places, they run things directly. They track shipments and send people. But in Europe, they work with other groups. They share profits and make threats to keep their partners in line. It's a delicate balance. One wrong move can make everything fall apart.