Nathan T Webb
(Postgraduate Student, MA Global Program, Webster University, Missouri, USA)
Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 11 September 2017
Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Re-search Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS).
Atrocities committed by the Assad Regime in war-torn Syria and the resulting migration issues in Europe have captured the attention of the international community. But approximately twelve thousand miles away – widespread violence, extortion, and corruption continue to define an equally pressing humanitarian crisis that is still unknown to many. (Cantor, 2016) The Northern Triangle of Central America, formed by the countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, is currently overrun by organized criminal gangs with a history going back to the bloody civil wars of the 1980s. (Katel, 2015) The region has the highest murder rate in the world, and the epidemic of gang violence has caused far-reaching displacement issues both internally and externally. (Kuek, 2017) As the region desperately searches for a solution, effects of the violence have reached the U.S.-Mexico border, forcing U.S. policy makers and migration experts to shift their attention from Europe to Latin America...Read more