Shield of the Americas summit raises questions about hemispheric security cooperation

The new regional framework aims to boost coordination against organized crime, but its long-term impact remains uncertain.

Mar. 13, 2026 at 5:39pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

The Shield of the Americas summit in Doral, Florida, on March 7 brought together representatives from several countries in the Western Hemisphere to discuss increased regional cooperation against criminal organizations and transnational threats. While the effort reflects a clear need for coordinated action, its long-term significance will depend on whether it can move beyond symbolic declarations and produce tangible results.

Why it matters

Across the Americas, criminal networks are able to move people, drugs, money, and weapons across borders more easily than many governments can coordinate against them. In several countries, organized crime has become a challenge to sovereignty, institutions, and public confidence. The Shield of the Americas aims to address this regional threat through a more flexible framework of coordination among sovereign governments, rather than creating a new supranational authority.

The details

The Shield of the Americas summit was attended by representatives from countries including Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago, alongside the United States. However, several key regional players such as Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and Guatemala were notably absent. The effort is not being presented as a military alliance or standing force, but rather as a political and diplomatic framework for increased cooperation and coordination against organized crime and transnational threats. Success will depend on the seriousness of national implementation and the ability of Latin American governments to help shape the framework to ensure it remains effective and institutionally credible.

  • The Shield of the Americas summit took place on March 7, 2026 in Doral, Florida.
  • The U.S. government paired the event with a proclamation framing the effort as part of a broader push for regional security cooperation.

The players

Donald Trump

The former U.S. president who used the Shield of the Americas summit to call for stronger action against cartels and other criminal groups in the Western Hemisphere.

Óscar Álvarez Araya

A political scientist and former Costa Rican ambassador to Taiwan who provided analysis on the significance and potential limitations of the Shield of the Americas framework.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Criminal cartels and foreign terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere should be demolished to the fullest extent possible, consistent with applicable law.”

— Donald Trump (White House Proclamation)

“If this framework is to mature, governments in the region will need to insist that it remain both effective and institutionally credible.”

— Óscar Álvarez Araya, Political Scientist and Former Costa Rican Ambassador

What’s next

The U.S. government has indicated there will be a follow-up dimension to the Shield of the Americas effort, including the appointment of a special envoy to help sustain coordination and implementation beyond the initial summit.

The takeaway

The Shield of the Americas represents an attempt to address the growing challenge of transnational organized crime in the Western Hemisphere through a more flexible framework of regional cooperation. However, its long-term impact will depend on whether it can move beyond symbolic declarations and produce tangible results in terms of intelligence sharing, financial enforcement, judicial coordination, and strengthening of institutions across the region.