William Knechtel
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William Knechtel

William Knechtel was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. He is a master’s student in International Relations at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) of Geneva. His research focuses on the illicit economy, and organized crime. He is particularly interested in identifying how variances in narcotic prices influence drug related violence and cartel organizational designs. Prior to studying at IHEID, William completed a Double Honours Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Sociology with a minor in Philosophy from the University of Windsor. In the summer he will move to Mexico to work for the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime.

Articles de William Knechtel

International 5 novembre 2015

Students in gunsight: The failure of Mexican law enforcement

A year ago I lived in Mexico City studying at El Colegio de Mexico and interning at the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime. During my stay there, I witnessed a nation awaken and respond to the tyranny of their government. I can tell you the exact day that this realization began. On September 26, 2014, a group of 43 male students traveled to the city of Iguala, a small historic town in Southwestern Mexico intent on protesting unfair funding and hiring practices. Police arrested the students. Initially jailed...

International 28 février 2014

The Shortfall of El Chapo

In arguably the arrest of the century, on Saturday, February 22nd Mexican authorities captured Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman in the coastal city of Mazatlana. As the head of the Sinaloa cartel, Guzman’s actions made the exploits of other famous mobsters pale in comparison. He made more money every month than the total net-worth of John Gotti, his operations ran through more continents than Al Capone’s syndicate did countries, and by the time Pablo Escobar would have been El Chapo’s age he was already dead for fifteen years. In the past few days’ news of the fallen drug lord made international headlines...