Over the past decade, Russian-based companies have been providing sophisticated surveillance technology to several Latin American countries. These technologies are critical to the survival of the repressive regimes in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba, and possibly criminal nonstate actors that weaken democracy and threaten U.S. national security. The transfer of surveillance technologies and other cyber activities, often run by Russian intelligence officials directly tied to Russia’s state cyber structures, goes beyond traditionally understood gray zone activities. In this episode of the JGI Policy Pulse, host Leland Lazarus speaks with Doug Farah from the International Coalition Against Illicit Economies to uncover how Russia-backed surveillance technology is fueling authoritarian regimes in the region.

Douglas Farah is a senior adviser to the International Coalition Against Illicit Economies (ICAIE) and founder and president of IBI Consultants, LLC (www.ibiconsultants.net), a consulting firm that specializes in field research studying security challenges and transnational organized crime in Latin America. Its clients include the U.S. government (DOD, State Department), leading think tanks (CSIS, Atlantic Council), and the private sector.