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Latin America and the Caribbean

Journal Article

Preparing for Future Droughts in Lima, Peru: Enhancing Lima's Drought Management Plan to Meet Future Challenges

This study evaluates the performance of Lima, Peru's current drought management plan against future droughts and proposes augmentations, and it recommends ways to ensure that the drought management plan performs will in the uncertain future.

May 14, 2019
Blog

Childhood Trauma, Space Traffic, China–Russia Relations: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on a program that helps children exposed to trauma, making outer space safer, tighter China–Russia relations, and more.

Apr 26, 2019
News Release

Human Smuggling Via Central America Generates Hundreds of Millions of Dollars, but Transnational Criminal Groups May ...

The smuggling of unlawful migrants from the Northern Triangle region of Central America—Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador—to the United States generated between $200 million and $2.3 billion for human smugglers in 2017. The wide range reflects uncertainty about the number of migrants that travel northward, their use of smugglers and the fees they pay.

Apr 22, 2019
Research Brief

Human Smuggling Operations from Central America to the United States

Smuggling unlawful migrants from Central America to the United States generated between $200 million and $2.3 billion for human smugglers in 2017. The wide range reflects uncertainty about the number of migrants, their use of smugglers, and the fees they pay. Transnational criminal organizations are only one type of actor involved.

Apr 22, 2019
Report

Human Smuggling and Associated Revenues: What Do or Can We Know About Routes from Central America to the United States?

The authors examine the structure, operations, and financing of actors that engage in human smuggling along routes from Central America to the United States and develop a preliminary estimate of revenues associated with human smuggling.

Apr 22, 2019
Commentary

When Are Economic Sanctions Worthwhile?

For American policymakers, economic sanctions are too often the soft choice between doing nothing and taking effective but risky or expensive action. Yet, before they inflict years, perhaps decades of impoverishment and worse on entire populations, they should ask if their efforts are likely to succeed and are worth punishing an entire people to do so.

Apr 15, 2019
Report

Countering China's Efforts to Isolate Taiwan Diplomatically in Latin America and the Caribbean: The Role of Development Assistance and Disaster Relief

Taiwan provides development assistance and disaster relief programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. This report considers how Taiwan can optimize its help to this region to ensure that it gets the maximum diplomatic value for its generosity.

Mar 13, 2019
Commentary

Hadrian's Wall Was a Policy Statement; So Is Donald Trump's

It's not clear if Hadrian's Wall was necessary to prevent Scottish fighters from invading the Roman Empire. Neither is it clear how effective Trump's wall would be at repelling undocumented immigration and smugglers. Hadrian's Wall may have been of symbolic value to those on both sides of it. Trump's could be, too.

Mar 6, 2019
Blog

Shutdown, Hezbollah, Border Wall: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Americans' financial fragility, Hezbollah in Venezuela, assessing the effectiveness of a border wall, and more.

Feb 15, 2019
Commentary

Russia Chooses Paupers as Partners, with Questionable Benefit

By leveraging the efficiencies of globalization and cultivating ties with prosperous partners, Russia could increase its economic potential and improve living standards for its people. And by engaging more positively with the world, it could gain influence in the forums that matter, such as the G20 and multilateral institutions.

Feb 14, 2019
Commentary

Hezbollah Is in Venezuela to Stay

Whatever the benefits of replacing the current Venezuelan regime with Washington's preferred alternative, Juan Guaidó, there's reason to doubt that it would change the country's problematic relationship with Hezbollah. Hezbollah is well-entrenched in Venezuela, where it has established a vast infrastructure for its criminal activities.

Feb 11, 2019
Commentary

The Wall Is Not the Only Answer

The president and Congress have just days to negotiate an agreement over border security, or the government may shut down once again. Until a bipartisan effort is made to reform U.S. immigration laws, policy options to address the incentives that cause people to risk their lives to come to the border to claim asylum will continue to be limited.

Feb 8, 2019
Commentary

What Border Walls Can and Cannot Accomplish

States have been building walls since ancient times. Some were arguably quite successful, others less so. At the core of prudent policy lies a basic question: What can walls realistically accomplish?

Jan 8, 2019
Commentary

In Venezuela, a Potential U.S.-Russian Crisis?

In December, two supersonic nuclear-capable Russian bombers visited Venezuela, the third such excursion for the warplanes since 2008. Might Moscow intend to pose a threat, perhaps even nuclear, to the Western Hemisphere? If so, how could Washington respond?

Jan 8, 2019
Commentary

America's Overwhelmed Immigration System

The Trump administration's options to deal with the surge of asylum seekers arriving at the U.S. border appear to be limited. What policies could help address the problem?

Dec 5, 2018
Dissertation

Preventing Deviations from Presidential Term Limits in Low- and Middle-Income Democracies

Examines the broader theme of deviations from presidential term limits.

Oct 11, 2018
Announcement

Statement About Edward Gonzalez, RAND Consultant and Expert on Cuba

Edward Gonzalez, a longtime RAND resident consultant and political science professor at UCLA who spent decades studying Fidel Castro's Cuba and its relations with the United States and the former Soviet Union, has died. He was 85.

Oct 9, 2018
Dissertation

Harmonizing Discretionary Policy Choice with Fiscal Rule Making: Mexico after Fiscal and Energy Sector Reforms

Studies the long-term effectiveness and vulnerability of a diverse set of fiscal policies, which propose lump-sum transfers and different consumption tax exemptions.

Sep 14, 2018
Commentary

Approaching a 'New Normal': What the Drone Attack in Venezuela Portends

The attempt to assassinate Venezuelan President Maduro showed that drones are easy to use and difficult to defend against. Commercial off-the-shelf technology is easy to acquire. It is imperative that counterterrorism specialists begin planning a robust response to the threat.

Aug 13, 2018
Commentary

How the Results of the Mexican Election Could Impact U.S. National Defense

The United States and Mexico collaborate in several important areas. In particular, the relationship is strong on the military-to-military front. But the upcoming Mexican presidential election could change this dynamic.

Jun 7, 2018

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