Category Archives: IALR Posts

U.S-Colombia Relations Fracture as Trump Sanctions Petro, Threatens Funding Cuts

By: Camilo Daza Manga For decades, Colombia has been a cornerstone of U.S. counternarcotics strategy in Latin America — a major non-NATO ally, the fifth-largest U.S. export market in the hemisphere, and the source of 85% of actionable intelligence used by U.S. naval forces to seize illicit narcotics in the Caribbean Sea between January 2024 […]

Behind Bars of Exception: El Salvador’s Security Crackdown

By: Kyleigh Custer The country of El Salvador declared a state of emergency in response to gang violence in 2022. After a failed attempt between government officials and gang leaders to negotiate peace, El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele, following approval by the Legislative Assembly, implemented a 30-day state of exception. Over the span of three […]

Bolivia Pushes to Redefine the Legal Classification of the Coca Leaf, a Culturally and Commercially Significant Crop

By: Julia Sariol For decades, the coca leaf has been viewed as the mere precursor to its chemically altered counterpart, cocaine, and the plant’s legal status around the world has reflected that dominant viewpoint for over half a century. Through renewed efforts to remove coca from the United Nations’ list of the world’s most dangerous […]

The Inter-American Court Reaches Its Boiling Point on Climate Change

By: Jared Trinkler On July 3, 2025, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) released advisory opinion OC-32/25, issuing a landmark decision recognizing the right to a healthy climate as an enforceable human right. While the IACtHR has previously acknowledged the importance of climate change, this advisory opinion represents a shift from voluntary encouragement to […]