1. After reading “A Line in the Sand: Countering Crime, Violence and Terror at the Southwest Border,” discuss the threats we face at the Southwest Border and the influence of transnational crime and terror organizations associated with the fight against narcotics, terrorism, and spillover violence.

2. Please critique in detail the fight against drug related violence and terror on the Southwest Border of the United States. In doing so, also list and discuss the three points keyed in on by Kingpins and corruption (2017), which is part of this week’s readings.

Instructions: The response to each question should be a “minimum” of 500 words of content (does not count references and or restating a question) and include “at least” two properly referenced sources, in accordance with APA 6th edition, for full credit. Please see the syllabus for what constitutes a “substantive” response.

Within your post, please place the first Forum response on top of the second, i.e., both Forum responses should be in the same post within the Forum.

It is essential that you realize that 500 words and 2 references for support per question contained in the primary forum assignment is the minimal expectation (if 2 questions are asked that means the primary post would be a minimum of 1,000 words not counting references or restating the questions); and, the student response posts (2 for each forum) 300 words and 1 reference for support is also the minimal expectation; this does not mean by meeting the minimal expectation that you will be awarded an “A.” This is a Master’s Degree program and course and the award of maximum credit is reserved only for those posts that are exemplary!

Also the content of the Forum Assignment will often ask the student to take a position on a particular topic. However, this is not a strict opinion paper in which you the student can just make a statement of what you think or what your experiences are on a topic. Instead, the student needs to support their opinion or experiences with qualifying research from academic source. APA 6th edition citations and references must be used always!

Answer preview

Question 1: Threats faced at the Southwest Border and the Influence of Transnational crime and terror Organizations

Terror attacks are the most significant threats faced at the Southwest border. This is because transnational terror organizations seek to exploit the vulnerabilities at the border through their capabilities. This means the Southwest Border is the first and last line of defense to prevent the attacks in the US. The presence of Iran and Hezbollah in Latin American countries explains how easy it is to exploit the southwest border (Bensman, 2016)…

 

(1200 words)