When the Mexican Drug Trade Hits the Border

Posted by Matt in April 15th, 2009 | 1 comment

Published in Mexico, Cartel, Drug Traffickers, Fred Burton, Gang Involvement, Gangs, Gaps, Interdiction, Latin American, Mexican Cartels, Move Product, Narcotics, Parcels, Retail Distribution, Retail Level, Retail Market, Smuggler, Southern Mexico, Tonnage, Trafficking, Violence In Mexico, Wholesale Shipments

By Fred Burton and Ben West at Stratfor.Com
For several years now, STRATFOR has been closely monitoring the growing violence in Mexico and its links to the drug trade. In December, our cartel report assessed the situation in Mexico, and two weeks ago we looked closely at the networks that control the flow of drugs through [...]

The Long Arm of the [Mexican] Lawless

Posted by Matt in February 25th, 2009 | no comment

Published in Mexico, Armed Men, Array, Cartel Activity, Drug Cartels, Drug Trafficking, Extreme Violence, Fred Burton, Grenades, Guerrero State, Latin-America, Living In Mexico, Long Arm, Mexican Border, Mexican Citizens, Mexican Police, Mexican Violence, Narcotics, Pervasiveness, Police Force, Police Officials, Quiet Beach, Violence In Mexico

By Fred Burton and Scott Stewart
Last week we discussed the impact that crime, and specifically kidnapping, has been having on Mexican citizens and foreigners visiting or living in Mexico. We pointed out that there is almost no area of Mexico immune from the crime and violence. As if on cue, on the night of Feb. [...]

Read this before your next Mexican vacation

Posted by Matt in February 19th, 2009 | 1 comment

Published in Mexico, Armed Men, Assault Rifles, Drug Gangs, Drug Wars, Fragmentation Grenades, Fred Burton, Grenade Attacks, Hand Grenades, Lazaro Cardenas, Mexican Authorities, Mexican Vacation, Mexico Mexico, Mexico State, Military Report, Military Weaponry, Military Weapons, Nearby Residence, Reynosa, Rocket Propelled Grenades, Rough And Tumble, Security Environment, Soldiers And Civilians, Sudden Collapse, Third War, Uruapan, Us Mexico Border

If you’re thinking of a Mexican vacation then you might want to think again after reading some of the articles below.
In most countries one feels safe at the sight of a policeman, but that’s not true in Mexico. In fact, the locals get a little nervous when the police are around because the police themselves [...]

Israel, Prepare for Retaliation

Posted by Matt in February 11th, 2009 | no comment

Published in Israel, American Blood, Fred Burton, General Secretary, hezbollah, Israeli Attack, Israelis, Jan 29, Military Commanders, Mourning Period, Mughniyah, News Conference, No Doubt, Observers, Outcry, Plausible Deniability, Retaliation, Retribution, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, Stratfor, Tel Aviv, Time And The Place

Retribution for Mughniyah: A Dish Served Cold?
By Fred Burton and Scott Stewart
Feb. 12 will mark the one-year anniversary of the assassination of Imad Mughniyah, one of Hezbollah’s top military commanders. The anniversary certainly will be met with rejoicing in Tel Aviv and Washington — in addition to all the Israelis he killed, Mughniyah also had [...]

Militant Possibilities on the New-Old Front

Posted by Matt in September 17th, 2008 | no comment

Published in New Cold War, Russia, Confrontation, Espionage, Fred Burton, FSB, Hallmark, Intelligence Agencies, Islamist Rebels, KGB, Military Action, North Koreans, North Vietnamese, Propaganda Campaigns, Proxies, Rebels In Afghanistan, Resurgence, Russia And The United States, Russian Power, Russian Strategic Bombers, Soviet Support, Sphere Of Influence

By Fred Burton and Scott Stewart
Over the past several months we have written quite a bit about the Russian resurgence. This discussion predates Russia’s military action in Georgia. Indeed, we have discussed the revival of Russian power since at least 2005, the implications of the FSB’s return since April and the potential return of the [...]

GHOST: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent, Chapter 2

Posted by Matt in June 4th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Middle East, Terrorism, Afterthought, Alice In Wonderland, Alice Wonderland, Beirut, Corporate Security, counterterrorism, Deputy Chief, Diplomatic Security Service, File Folder, File Folders, Fred Burton, Gleason, Hand Lettering, Kamikaze, Lebanon, Magic Marker, Miss Manners, Rabbit Hole, State Evidence, Stratfor, Subheadings, Suicide Bomber, Witness Statements

Editor’s Note: This week’s Terrorism Weekly is the second chapter of Fred Burton’s new book, GHOST: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent. Burton is vice president for counterterrorism and corporate security at Stratfor. He is the former deputy chief of the counterterrorism division of the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service.
Chapter Two: Down the Rabbit Hole
“CT03.” [...]