From April 26-30, 2021, the Perry Center brought together approximately 40 participants from 13 countries for a Spanish-language virtual seminar “Combating Transnational Threat Networks” (CTTN). The academic seminar was opened by Perry Center Director LTG (ret) Frederick S. Rudesheim and facilitated by a team of Perry Center professors including Celina Realuyo, William Godnick, Boris Saavedra, and Ricardo Gomez-Hecht. RADM Andrew J. Tiongson of US Southern Command and Ms. Delia Ferreira Rubio of Transparency International kicked off the seminar with a presentation on countering transnational criminal organizations and corruption in the Americas.
Day 2 of the seminar was dedicated to examining narcotrafficking, followed by a case study analysis of Colombia and Mexico. On Day 3 the group examined irregular migration trends, armed violence and illicit weapons, and money laundering and terrorist financing. CTTN’s full schedule continued Day 4 with case studies of Central America, the Southern Cone, and Venezuela. The final day of the seminar focused on cybersecurity and illicit networks, the influence of external state actors in the Americas, and international cooperation. The seminar concluded with breakout groups in which participants analyzed the challenges of and responses to transnational crime.
The lineup of distinguished presenters also included Mr. John Melo, Office of National Drug Control Policy; Dr. Oscar Palma, Universidad of the Rosary; Dr. Yadira Galvez, National Autonomous University of Mexico; Mr. Gerardo Rodriguez, University of the Americas Puebla; Dr. Guadalupe Correa, George Mason University; Mr. Christian Azevedo, Federal Police of Brazil; Ms. Carolina Sampo, University of La Plata; Mr. Douglas Farah, National Defense University; Mr. Joseph Humire, Center for a Secure Free Security; Professor Evan Ellis, US Army War College; and Mr. Gaston Schulmeister, Organization of American States.
