The William J. Perry Center for Strategic Studies (WJPC) in partnership with the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) conducted a Trans-Regional Illicit Commons: Drugs, Guns and People Workshop from 19-21 July 2016 in Casablanca, Morocco.  The event convened 42 senior African and Latin American defense and security professionals, representing Algeria, Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chad, Colombia, Egypt, El Salvador, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Jamaica, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Panama, and Tunisia, as well as U.S. representatives from AFRICOM/J5, the US Embassy Rabat, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Under the direction of NESA Professor Anne Moisan and WJPC Professor Celina Realuyo, the workshop addressed the globalization of the illicit commons, the trans-regional security challenges posed by narcotics, arms and human trafficking, the gaps in identifying and understanding these security threats, and the best strategies and policies to counter illicit networks, including terrorists and criminals. The participants shared their perspectives on the extent of the problem in Africa and the Americas, how they are interrelated, and shared lessons learned and best practices to counter illicit trafficking. The workshop concluded with a series of proposed national, regional, and trans-regional initiatives and the creation of an illicit commons community of interest.