Delighted to share: I've taken up the Chair of Global Security @ethz.ch & from 2029 directing @css.ethz.ch. Thxs to new colleagues for warm welcome! Grateful to colleagues @blavatnikschool.bsky.social & beyond. Still directing @oxfordgsp.bsky.social @pembrokeoxford.bsky.social, UniOxford @ox.ac.uk

Modern organized crime is a financial enterprise. As I told Bloomberg: "Successful illicit entrepreneurs depend on legal markets, financial professionals, logistics companies, and corporate structures to conceal illicit proceeds." Fantastic piece by @donalgriffin.bsky.social : tinyurl.com/mrtuaud6

A Cocaine Bust in Spain Leads All the Way to Wall Street

The case, whose details are now unfolding from court documents, has all the ingredients of a Hollywood crime movie.

bloomberg.com

Joined BBC News to discuss geopolitical implications of the devastating #earthquake in #Venezuela. My thoughts are w/everyone affected by this tragedy. We discussed how the earthquake is testing VEN's political transition, state legitimacy & its relationship w/US. Watch here: tinyurl.com/2rya4fh6

Delighted to contribute w/interview to @aljazeera.com on Colombia's presidential election & its implications for security, governance & US-Colombia relations. The result marks a shift to the right, but the narrow margin also underscores how divided the country remains. tinyurl.com/3yp5m8x5

Trump-endorsed far-right candidate elected Colombia president: What’s next?

Election results show Trump-endorsed millionaire Abelardo de la Espriella wins by razor-thin margin.

aljazeera.com

Spoke with @BBCNews about escalating US–Cuba tensions following the indictment of R. Castro. My argument: this is not only about the 1996 case, but to increase pressure on Cuba amid a severe humanitarian crisis & growing geopolitical confrontation. Watch @2:53 here: www.linkedin.com/posts/dr-ann...

Had the opportunity to join BBC WorldService Weekend today to discuss a range of current issues ranging from US–Iran tensions, energy markets, and illicit flows to platform risks! Listen here in these 3 links: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w... www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w... www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

BBC World Service - Weekend, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis vow to continue strikes on Israel

Israel activates air defences as Iranian missiles detected

bbc.co.uk

🔔 CLAS & @camgeopolitics.bsky.social presents: Colombia’s Armed Conflict in Regional and Global Context: Peace Prospects, Venezuela Spillover, and Geopolitics Ahead of Elections Dr @annetteidler.bsky.social (University of Oxford) 📆 Wednesday 18 March | 5:00pm 📍 Room S1, ARB 🔗 bit.ly/4qVgSY2

Very much looking forward to discussing "The Trump Effect" with fellow panelists Maryhen Jiménez, @tomlongphd.bsky.social & David Doyle later at St Antony's College, @ox.ac.uk today! www.lac.ox.ac.uk/event/main-s...

Joint Seminar: The Trump Effect: What Next For Venezuela?

lac.ox.ac.uk

In this @aljazeera.com explainer, I discuss how Mexican cartels obtain weapons & why most firearms seized in Mexico originate in the US. Addressing the problem requires treating southbound gun trafficking as seriously as northbound flows of drugs & people.Read more: www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/03...

Is the US arming Mexican cartels?

Eighty percent of weapons seized from Mexican cartels come from the US, according to Mexico’s defence minister.

aljazeera.com

Spoke with France 24 on El Mencho. Decapitation strategies can weaken organisations but also trigger fragmentation and renewed violence while trafficking networks remain resilient. Long-term impact depends on addressing demand. Here's the article: www.france24.com/fr/am%C3%A9r...

Mort d'El Mencho : la "décapitation" des cartels de la drogue, stratégie à double tranchant

La mort dimanche du puissant narcotrafiquant mexicain Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias El Mencho, peut être perçue comme une victoire pour le gouvernement de la présidente Claudia Sheinbaum et pour…

france24.com

Hybrid Event Join us for a field-based discussion on the Sinjar Peace Agreement & the challenges facing Iraq’s Yazidi community. Speaker: Giorgi Gigauri, Visiting Fellow 🗓 3 March 2026, 5 PM 📍 Allen & Overy Room, Pembroke College & Online Register: forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...

Spoke w/ BBC News on El Mencho. Removing leaders doesn't dismantle broader crime systems. These groups are embedded in transnational supply chains that adapt to disruption. Without addressing demand and structural drivers, violence and trafficking will persist. Read here: www.bbc.com/portuguese/a...

México: Por que a morte de chefão do tráfico 'El Mencho' não vai acabar com a violência dos cartéis - BBC News Brasil

Morte de Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes é vista como triunfo do governo no combate à influência e ao poder de seus cartéis de drogas, mas como isso afetará o império criminoso que ele deixa para trás?

bbc.com

I was interviewed by @aljazeera.com on El Mencho's killing in #Mexico. My key message: Kingpin arrests matter symbolically, but globally networked illicit supply chains are built to withstand leadership loss. @socsci.ox.ac.uk Article: www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/...

Who was ‘El Mencho’? What drug lord’s killing means for Mexico

The US-backed operation that killed 'El Mencho' sparks a wave of violence across the country.

aljazeera.com

NEW EVENT! Colombia’s armed conflict in regional and global context What are the prospects & obstacles for peace in Colombia? Dr @annetteidler.bsky.social explores security challenges and what to expect from the upcoming election 🗓️ Mar 18, 5-6.30 PM 🗺️ Cambridge, CB3 9DP 🔗 bit.ly/4qVgSY2

Spoke w/ @channel4news.bsky.social about El Mencho’s capture & unsettling retaliatory violence. The arrest is important, but global drug supply chains are resilient to leadership losses. Without reducing demand, underlying structures remain. Interview (watch @3:40): www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW4G...

Looking fwd to launching our webinar series tmw! @pembrokeoxford.bsky.social

Oxford Global Security Programme@oxfordgsp.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Launching the Global Security Programme Webinar Series — six conversations on conflict, governance & illicit flows across borders. Supported by XCEPT. Episode 1: Borderlands and the Making of Global (Dis)Order 📅 25 Feb | ⏰ 1pm (UK) Register here: forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...

I wrote for @ox.ac.uk on the US–Venezuela situation. One overlooked paradox: actions justified as fighting drug trafficking are likely to benefit it, by fragmenting authority and deepening instability. Read here: www.ox.ac.uk/news/2026-01... #GlobalSecurity #Venezuela #LatinAmerica

Expert Comment: What US action in Venezuela could unleash —

Dr Annette Idler, Associate Professor in Global Security at the Blavatnik School of Government and Director of the Global Security Programme at Oxford’s Pembroke College, explores US actions in

ox.ac.uk

"It is so important that the international community really makes clear that we can't have unilaterial military action without any consent from others." Listen to Prof Annette Idler speaks on US-Venezuela from 11:48 👇 https://ow.ly/bkhW50XSVzH

Radio Wales Breakfast - With Dot Davies and Catrin Heledd - BBC Sounds

Everything you need to know as you wake up.

ow.ly

Shared further analysis on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast on US intervention in VEN. Key contradiction: Rubio says this was a limited law-enforcement operation. Reality: 15,000 troops, 150 aircraft, major military build-up. Listen (11:48 - 16:29): www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... #Venezuela #GlobalSecurity

Radio Wales Breakfast - With Dot Davies and Catrin Heledd - BBC Sounds

Everything you need to know as you wake up.

bbc.co.uk

Associate Prof @annetteidler.bsky.social explores the potential impact of US interventons in #Venezuela on stability in the region and worldwide. 👇

University of Oxford@ox.ac.uk · 9mo ago

'Oganised crime thrives when authority is fragmented and control is weak.' Annette Idler, Associate Professor in Global Security at the @blavatnikschool.bsky.social, explores U.S. actions in Venezuela and the potential impact on stability in the region and worldwide ⬇️

I spoke with BBC News Brazil about #Venezuela. Removing Maduro may be welcomed by many, but the method sets a dangerous precedent. It blurs the line between law enforcement and military aggression and risks a return to unilateral interventionism. www.bbc.com/portuguese/a...

EUA 'governarem' a Venezuela não tem respaldo legal, a era das tutelas terminou com a descolonização, diz professora de Oxford - BBC News Brasil

Avaliação é da professora Annette Idler, professora da Universidade de Oxford, que viu na ação do fim de semana uma "escalada extraordinária" e que cria precedente perigoso no mundo.

bbc.com

I spoke with BBC World News about the rapidly evolving situation in Venezuela. Removing an illegitimate ruler does not automatically produce stability, and coercion without legitimacy risks turning crisis into prolonged insecurity. #Venezuela #GlobalSecurity Watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACzO...

"The era of protectorates and trustees ended with decolonisation". Professor Annette Idler provides an assessment of the US military's operation in Venezuela.👇 https://ow.ly/OyqU50XRXWx

EUA 'governarem' a Venezuela não tem respaldo legal, a era das tutelas terminou com a descolonização, diz professora de Oxford - BBC News Brasil

Avaliação é da professora Annette Idler, professora da Universidade de Oxford, que viu na ação do fim de semana uma "escalada extraordinária" e que cria precedente perigoso no mundo.

ow.ly

“The removal of Maduro creates not clarity but a dangerous power vacuum." -- Prof @annetteidler.bsky.social talked to @theipaper.com "Without Venezuelan ownership and regional backing, any attempt at US-led governance risks rapid destabilisation rather than transition.” inews.co.uk/news/explosi...

We're not at war with Venezuela but Cuba has a 'huge problem'

Maduro and his wife have been charged with 'narco-terrorism' after being captured in a night time raid by US forces

inews.co.uk

On LBC discussing the shocking US military intervention in #Venezuela. This goes far beyond Venezuela: it raises major legal and security risks, sets dangerous precedents, and lacks a clear plan for what comes next. #GlobalSecurity #InternationalLaw #USForeignPolicy www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDX2...

Do you trust Donald Trump with Venezuela?

YouTube video by LBC

youtube.com

Will the US invade Venezuela? We ask @annetteidler.bsky.social, @stevelevitsky.bsky.social, and Boris Muñoz to look beyond the pretext of drug trafficking to puzzle out US motivations and weigh the pros and cons of invasion. https://loom.ly/5AiSOs4

"Trump claimed at some point that Maduro is emptying prisons and asylums. There's no evidence that this is true." Associate Prof Annette Idler examines US policy towards Venezuela, questioning security claims and highlighting the risks of escalation.👇 https://ow.ly/nri450XN3Kp

Why is the US escalating pressure on Venezuela now? In my interview for @harvard.edu @weatherheadcenter.bsky.social ’s Epicenter, I discuss why the threat is constructed, how US politics intersects with geopolitics, and why a drug war won’t yield stability epicenter.wcfia.harvard.edu/articles/why...

Why Venezuela? | Epicenter

The last time the US invaded a Latin American country was in 1989, in Panama; will Venezuela be next?

epicenter.wcfia.harvard.edu

Spoke with BBC News about the U.S. carrier strike group now off Venezuela — the biggest deployment in the region in decades. What’s driving it? Pressure on Maduro. War-on-drugs politics. Oil + great-power competition. Rising regional tensions. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4Qn...

Annette Idler spoke to BBC News about her assessment of the socio-economic crisis in Venezuela.

YouTube video by Blavatnik School of Government

youtube.com

"Global trade and digital connectivity is what turned these Brazilian factions into networked global organisations." Associate Prof Annette Idler explains Brazil's role in global drug trafficking. 👇 https://ow.ly/ghjp50XuI4l