Plan Colombia and the Mérida Initiative are the two most significant US security assistance efforts in Latin America in the twenty-first century. At a time of flagging US objectives in the Middle East and Central Asia, Colombia was a rare US foreign policy victory—a showcase for stabilization and security sector reform. Conversely, Mexico struggled to turn the tide on the country’s scourge of crime and violence, despite an influx of resources for professionalizing the country’s security, defense, and judicial institutions. As Washington reconsiders its approach to stabilizing crisis countries after a challenging withdrawal from Afghanistan, From Peril to Partnership’s comparative analysis of Colombia and Mexico offers lessons for scholars and policymakers alike, providing insights into the efficacy of US security assistance and the necessary conditions and stakeholders in partner nations that facilitate success. Crucially, private-sector support, interparty consensus on security policies, and the centralization of the security bureaucracy underpinned Colombia’s success. The absence of these features in Mexico contributed to its descent into chaos, culminating in its highest-ever homicide rate by the end of the 2010s. Drawing on extensive fieldwork, this book evaluates the extent to which security assistance programs helped improve the operational effectiveness and democratic accountability of Washington’s partners—Colombian and Mexican security forces. It reveals why Plan Colombia achieved its objectives and the Mérida Initiative underdelivered in Mexico. Most important, it transcends drug war theatrics and the one-size-fits-all approach to US-led stabilization—restoring agency to the institutions receiving US security assistance, and helping chart a course toward more nuanced, effective US policy.
