Two specialized courses, Strategic Implications of Human Rights and Rule of Law (HR/ROL), and Combating Transnational Organized Crime and Illicit Networks in the Americas (CTOC), started at the Perry Center. Following a rigorous online phase, nearly 75 participants from 18 countries arrived in Washington DC to complete the two-week in-person segment of their respective courses.

The Human Rights course covers issues such as international humanitarian law, democracy, freedom of the press, arms trafficking, prison overcrowding, indigenous rights, women’s rights, and humanitarian intervention. The course includes assessments of case study countries including the United States, Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, and Syria, among others. On day 3 of the course, the students will visit the Organization of American States and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The HR/ROL course director is Professor Pat Paterson. Professor Walter Earle is the deputy course director.

The CTOC course addresses security challenges associated with drugs, arms, human tracking, money laundering and terrorist financing, cybersecurity, illicit networks, and the terror-crime nexus. The course also includes case studies on Central America, Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, and Brazil. Professor Celina Realuyo is the CTOC course director. Dr. Boris Saavedra is the deputy course director.