This week, the U.S. continued its buildup of naval and air forces near Iran for a potential military operation, while Iranian officials reported progress in diplomatic talks. In the United States, the Supreme Court invalidated tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, dealing a major blow to the administration’s trade policy. In the Russia/Ukraine conflict, the latest round of peace negotiations ended with inconclusive results, while world leaders gathered in Germany for the Munich Security Conference. In the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. unveiled plans to deploy more missile systems to the Philippines, while China prepared to receive German Chancellor Friederich Merz. As the U.S. pressure campaign against Cuba continued, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Cuban government representatives. Meanwhile, U.S. forces intercepted another Venezuelan-linked tanker in the Indian Ocean.

Marxist Arrow by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode of Crime Beat Conversations, Rafaella Lipschitz sat down with Stefano Ritondale again, to discuss the dynamics of the Sinaloa cartel civil war and emerging alliances between Los Chapitos, a faction of the Sinaloa cartel, and CJNG, Sinaloa’s historic rival. Stefano breaks down how the Sinaloa civil war has reframed how we should understand Mexican cartel alliances. We examine some of the ways CJNG is providing support to Los Chapitos in their fights against the Mayitos, what this alliance means for other Mexican cartels, and how policymakers should go about understanding this complex landscape. Stay tuned for more from Crime Beat Conversations.

Find Stefano’s piece on cartel militarization for New Lines Institute here:

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This week, U.S. President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, after which Trump insisted that negotiations with Iran would continue, while Israel is reportedly preparing for a ground offensive in Gaza against Hamas.

In the Indo Pacific, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering constitutional reform following her party’s victory in parliament, while the U.S. is preparing a new arms sale to Taiwan.

In the Americas, Cuba has warned airline companies that they would no longer be able to refuel on the island amid the country’s energy crisis following an oil embargo by the United States.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accepted a U.S. invitation to participate in peace talks in Miami next week, while the European Union is preparing a list of concessions it will demand from Russia.

Marxist Arrow by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/