Dante’s Inferno I was saddened to learn of the death of Dr. Dante Caputo, the former Foreign Minister of Argentina, Secretary of Political Affairs at the Organization of American States (OAS), peacemaker, scholar and friend. My first encounter with Dante did not go so well when I tried to give him my take on […]
I have spent the better part of the last ten years working on the issues of the illicit economy and its actors. While there is a consensus that illicit activity is approximately the size of a G 7 country and that it poses an existential threat to many countries however there is no consensus on […]
Why do we not learn from our mistakes? The Bangladesh government’s heavy-handed approach to the war on drugs will most likely meat the same fate as the costly failures elsewhere. http://www.newagebd.net/article/42749/3-more-killed-in-police-custody-gunfights http://www.newagebd.net/article/42781/akramul-haque-collateral-damage As we wrote in the Organization of American States (OAS) Drug Report of 2012, the so-called war on drugs in most of the […]
Swiss foundation fights illegal trade in luxury Friday, 27.04.2018 – translation of the article published by Agefi In the course of 2017, twice as many jewels were sold in Switzerland than in 2016. ProVeros is dedicated to this fight. Elsa Floret Pierre Kupferschmid. Member of the ProVeros committee. In Switzerland, in 2017, the number of […]
Great to attend and speak at the George Mason Conference on eradicating the Opioid epidemic. Governor Northam (D) and Congresswoman Comstock (R) both spoke through the lens of recovery and prevention of this chronic disease. Refreshing that there is bipartisan belief that this will not be solved through the criminal justice system. Sad but necessary […]
Having spent the past year trying to help some of the hardest hit US municipalities develop and implement youth violence prevention strategies, there are some encouraging signs. It was great to feel and see the energy and passion of youth leaders and voice this past Saturday seeking action for common-sense gun reforms. In all of the […]
Once again I had a unique opportunity to lead our Faith and Community Based Youth Violence Reduction program in Newport News, Virginia. Unfortunately, I didn’t have an opportunity to visit the historical triangle of Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown while in the area, next time! There is nothing fake here but a dedicated group of folks from […]
One of the most rewarding things that I have done over the past few years is to be affiliated with the Trust of the Americas and now the Trust of the Americas Canada. The Trust is a non-profit organization affiliated with the Organization of American States (OAS) that was established in 1997 to promote public […]
Never before have so many police officers gathered in one place at one time, not sure if this is true but it sure felt that way. Had the pleasure to attend IACP again this year. While my focus was more on emerging threats and challenges, it was great to see such a large international contingent. The IACP […]
Was great to hear old friends and new discuss the security and defense challenges in the Americas. Peter MacKay spoke eloquently about the importance of NAFTA and that we should not allow the naysayers to define what has essentially been a successful agreement for all parties! Also clear that defense and security cooperation between Canada […]
