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muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah
@muggah.bsky.social
280 followers 140 following 160 posts

Co-founder of Igarapé Institute, SecDev, and Bioverse | Geopolitics, security, technology, cities and nature enthusiast | TED speaker | Lancet Commission | Bosch Academy | Author of Terra Incognita | SuperNature | robertmuggah.org .. more

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Robert Muggah is a political scientist, urbanist, and security expert. He is the co-founder of the Igarapé Institute and the SecDev Group, where he is known for his work on urbanization, crime prevention, arms control, migration, cyber-security, the digital economy, conflict and development studies. He regularly advises national and city governments, management consulting and technology firms, United Nations agencies, and the World Bank.  .. more

Political science 49%
Sociology 27%
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muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · 12d
“Freedom cities” championed by Silicon Valley’s techno-libertarian elite risk undermining democracy rather than shoring it up. Latest by Carlo Ratti and me in @sol24.bsky.social.

en.ilsole24ore.com/art/the-new-...
The New Metropolises of the Authoritarians
The 'freedom cities' championed by the Silicon Valley techno-libertarian elite and Donald Trump are enclaves of deregulated, digitally powered and centrally planned innovation. The challenge is not to...
en.ilsole24ore.com
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muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · 13d
O confronto entre EUA e Venezuela se aproxima. Ataques parecem plausíveis, mas Washington ainda pretende levar Caracas ao limite por meio de pressão, não de invasão. @theconversation.com

theconversation.com/eua-e-venezu...
EUA e Venezuela estão próximos de um conflito armado - mas preocupações domésticas e riscos internacionais podem impedir Washington de avançar
O aumento da presença militar dos EUA no Caribe levou o presidente venezuelano Nicolás Maduro a responder com exercícios militares
theconversation.com
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muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · 13d
US-Venezuela showdown looms. Strikes seem plausible, but Washington still aims to push Caracas over the edge through pressure, not invasion. Latest from @us.theconversation.com.

theconversation.com/venezuela-an...
Venezuela and US edge toward war footing − but domestic concerns, international risks may hold Washington back
US military buildup in the Caribbean has prompted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to reciprocate with military drills.
theconversation.com
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muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · 16d
A guerra ampliada dos EUA contra as drogas pode projetar poder, mas é
improvável que afete o mercado. Os aliados se afastarão se virem coerção em
vez de parceria. #Estadao

www.estadao.com.br/amp/internac...
Trump usa guerra contra as drogas para interesses geopolíticos. Vai funcionar?
Embora o fentanil proveniente da China parecesse ser o principal foco do presidente durante sua campanha, o alvo mais tradicional da cocaína sul-americana tornou-se mais proeminente recentemente
www.estadao.com.br

muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · 27d
Global conflict is surging but the institutions set up to curb them are fracturing. Perceptions diverge on what comes next. The West fears the end of the rules-based order; Asia treat multipolarity as opportunity; many in the “Global South” are hedging. #WEF

www.weforum.org/stories/2025...
We must rethink conflict and peacebuilding in a fractured world
Conflict is rising as aid shrinks. How can peacebuilding adapt through localization, innovation and new global coalitions in this new fractured world?
www.weforum.org
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muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · 27d
Decertifications, terror labels, and episodic strikes risk alienating the partners Washington needs. My latest with #AmericasQuarterly.

americasquarterly.org/article/geop...
The Geopolitics of Trump’s War on Drugs
Decertifications, terror labels, and episodic strikes risk alienating the partners Washington needs.
americasquarterly.org
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muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · 27d
Freedom cities are coming. But instead of ceding the idea to techno-authoritarians, progressives need to reclaim cities as platforms for democratic experimentation - from participatory assemblies and cooperative housing to climate-resilient design. www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/f...
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muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · Sep 11
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was convicted by a Supreme Court majority of plotting a coup to remain in power after losing the 2022 election, the first former president in the country's history to be convicted for attacking democracy.

www.reuters.com/world/americ...
Brazil's Bolsonaro convicted for criminal organization, court majority decides
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was convicted by a Supreme Court majority on Thursday of being part of a criminal organization, a powerful blow to the far-right leader in his trial over an alleged coup plot.
www.reuters.com
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muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · Sep 10
Can improvements in #deforestation detection improve safety? A new study from #arxiv finds that #Brazil's #DETER prevented on average +/- 1,477 homicides per year, a 15% reduction. Fascinating co benefits. (By Rafael Araujo, Vitor Possebom, and Gabriela Setti)

arxiv.org/html/2509.06...
DETERring more than Deforestation: Environmental Enforcement Reduces Violence in the AmazonWe would like to thank Lucas Belleza, Lucas Finamor, and Livia Haddad for helpful suggestions. We also thank ...
arxiv.org
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muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · Sep 8
O que foi anunciado como estratégia de combate ao #narcotráfico se assemelha mais a um modelo de diplomacia coerciva na #Venezuela e na região. #igarape #estadao

www.estadao.com.br/internaciona...
EUA usam combate ao narcotráfico para pressionar regime de Maduro e mostrar força na América Latina
Envio de militares e navios para águas próximas a Venezuela resgata invasão ao Panamá e intervenções do século 20; mudanças globais e regionais dificultam influência americana
www.estadao.com.br

Reposted by Jocalyn Clark, Robert Muggah

forumarmstrade.bsky.social
Forum on the Arms Trade @forumarmstrade.bsky.social · Sep 5
new @bmj.com series on Arms industry as a commercial determinant of health
www.bmj.com/content/390/... featured in the latest "The Week in Arms Trade Publications" mailchi.mp/forumarmstra...
Get on the list www.forumarmstrade.org/get-on-the-l...
@muggah.bsky.social
Weapons, wealth, and health: the arms industry as a commercial determinant of health
As governments worldwide increase defence spending and arms company revenues climb, we urgently need to examine how the arms industry (and not just its products) influences health, argue Mark Bellis a...
www.bmj.com
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muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · Sep 3
#Brazil is confronting one of the most audacious #criminal infiltration schemes in its history. I told #Bloomberg that factions like the #PCC have fully infiltrated the legal economy and supply chains and are eroding trust in the financial system

www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Drug Gang Sells Brazil Gas in Sophisticated Bid to Wash Profits
A sting operation is targeting criminal networks spanning service stations, asset managers and fintech platforms used to mask close to $10 billion in illicit profits.
www.bloomberg.com

muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · Sep 2
With the world #arming itself to the teeth, it’s critical to expose the vast health implications. In a new #BMJ series, we argue that the #arms industry, like #tobacco, #alcohol, and #fossil fuels should be regarded as a commercial determinant of health.

www.bmj.com/content/390/...
Weapons, wealth, and health: the arms industry as a commercial determinant of health
As governments worldwide increase defence spending and arms company revenues climb, we urgently need to examine how the arms industry (and not just its products) influences health, argue Mark Bellis a...
www.bmj.com

muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · Aug 29
The #STF also issued content takedown orders (and suspended Telegram) and expanded fact-checking hubs and digital literacy campaigns to counter conspiracy theories and restored public trust. By mid-2025, the STF secured 643 convictions for involvement in the riots. (5/5)

muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · Aug 29
The January 8, 2023 attacks on the presidential palace, Congress, and the #STF triggered even stronger action. The STF and #TSE froze assets, classified insurrectionists as terrorists, and enforced preventive arrests to curb extremist networks. (4/5)
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muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · Aug 29
By 2022, the #TSE and Supreme Court (#STF) expanded their authority, enabling real-time removal of harmful content on X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Telegram. Authorities built communication channels with tech firms to flag disinformation and block extremist accounts. (3/5)
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muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · Aug 29
A focus of the #TSE and Supreme Court (#STF) since 2019 has been on those targeting electronic voting systems. Counter measures not only patched vulnerabilities in Brazil’s #democratic defenses, they also laid the foundations for more ambitious efforts to safeguard the 2022 elections. (2/5)
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muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · Aug 29
At a time of #democratic rollback, look to countries like #Brazil for insight. Brazil’s defense of #democracy has evolved since Bolsonaro’s election in 2018. In 2019, the electoral court (#TSE) stood-up its first #disinformation program and a network of fact-checkers to debunk conspiracies. (1/6)
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muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · Aug 27
Even so, #gun violence has declined in recent years. There were 5.6 gun-related murders per 100,000 in 2023. This is down from 6.2 in 2022 and 6.7 in 2021. Places with the highest rates include #Alabama, District of #Columbia, #Louisiana, #Mississippi, and New Mexico. #CDC

muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · Aug 27
The #US is also an outlier when it comes to #gun deaths. In 2024, 41,027 people died from gun-related injuries. Of these, 16,871 were gun-related homicides and 24,156 were suicides. Handguns are most commonly used: assault rifles turn up in around 4% of murders.
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muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · Aug 27
The #US is an outlier when it comes to mass #shootings. Last year there were 503 incidents, including 30 mass murders. For example, Trump's first term (2017-2020) averaged 452 incidents per year with an average of 506 deaths and 1,865 injuries annually. (Gun Violence Archive)
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muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · Aug 27
The incident in #Minneapolis is the 286th mass #shooting event of 2025. Since January at least 246 people were killed, 1,292 injured and 44 states impacted. Red states lead in both frequency and fatalities accounting for 55% of all mass shootings and 60% of deaths and injuries.
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muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · Aug 25
agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/meio-ambient...
Estudo mapeia disputas e conflitos nas fronteiras da Amazônia
Relatório Amazônia em Disputa, lançado nesta semana em Bogotá, Colômbia, mapeia as áreas de fronteira, os principais atores e as dinâmicas que colocam a região em risco.
agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br

muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · Aug 20
#Ukraines hydrocarbons, critical minerals and rare earths could be worth trillions. The caveats? About half are in #Russian-occupied areas. Security guarantees are also essential. Spoke to @nytimes.com’s Dealbook about the opportunities and challenges today. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/20/b...

muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · Aug 18
In what some analysts are calling among the most consequential meetings since the fall of the Soviet Union, #EU and #NATO leaders are keen to avoid both confrontation and capitulation in Washington.

www.bbc.com/news/article...
European leaders rush to US to help Ukraine avoid 'capitulation’
The heads of state hope to stop Trump from threatening long-term European security, writes James Landale.
www.bbc.com

muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · Aug 13
“Overall, 49 cities had rates higher than 39.1 [Washington DC} including 6 in the US.”

Igarapé Institute fact checking the White House today.

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/u...
Trump Misstates Washington Crime Data to Justify Takeover
www.nytimes.com

muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · Aug 12
The evidence is clear: where Indigenous rights, responsibilities, and resources are respected, ecosystems are more likely to endure. As I explain in #Context this week, that makes Indigenous stewardship not just a moral obligation, but a strategic necessity.

www.context.news/nature/opini...
Indigenous stewardship is the ignored climate solution | Context by TRF
Securing Indigenous land tenure offers huge climate returns at a fraction of the cost of large-scale forest protection programs
www.context.news
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muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · Aug 11
"Notwithstanding U.S. claims legitimizing the use of force, the legal foundation for the presidential directive is fragile," says Robert Muggah about the recent news of the U.S. possibly using military force in Latin America. #AmericasQuarterly

americasquarterly.org/article/reac...
REACTION: Trump Orders Armed Forces to Fight Latin American Cartels
The reported Pentagon directive targets groups that the U.S. considers terrorist organizations.
americasquarterly.org
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muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · Aug 9
news.mongabay.com/2025/08/form...
The economic logic for investing in formalized gold processing plants is compelling. The World Gold Council found that shared plants can cut mercury use by up to 95%, boost gold recovery by 40%, and create job opportunities beyond extraction. They can also facilitate traceability and tax collection. But good intentions alone are insufficient. Building and maintaining these facilities requires regulatory clarity, technical expertise and capital. That is a tall order in many of the 80 countries where artisanal and small-scale gold mining thrives, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America.
news.mongabay.com

muggah.bsky.social
Robert Muggah @muggah.bsky.social · Aug 9
valor.globo.com/opiniao/colu...
O ouro e a proteção do ambiente
Se nada for feito, a mineração artesanal continuará alimentando a degradação ecológica e as economias criminosas
valor.globo.com