Why Presidents and Government Officials Are Targeted in the Global South

    Political violence in the Global South—especially assassinations of presidents, candidates, judges, and officials—is often misunderstood as cultural instability. In reality, it is more accurately explained as the result of contested power, foreign influence, and parallel economies operating alongside weak or compromised states.

This violence does not emerge randomly. It emerges where control over resources, territory, and governance is constantly under threat.

Weak States and Competing Power Structures

Many Indigenous and Native American countries in the Global South inherited political systems that were imposed rather than organically developed. These systems often struggle with:

• weak institutions

• limited trust in government

• corruption inherited from colonial administrations

• external economic pressure

When the state cannot fully enforce law or legitimacy, other power structures fill the vacuum.

The Role of Cartels and Criminal Networks

In several countries, cartels and organized criminal groups have grown powerful enough to rival or penetrate the state itself. These groups thrive in environments where:

• poverty is widespread

• institutions are underfunded or corrupt

• foreign demand fuels illegal markets

• law enforcement lacks independence

Presidents, mayors, judges, and reform-minded officials become targets when they threaten these networks—either by disrupting profits, refusing cooperation, or attempting reform.

In this context, assassination becomes a tool of economic control, not ideology.

Foreign Interests and Economic Extraction

Another factor frequently cited by Indigenous populations is foreign interference—whether through corporations, political pressure, or covert influence.

When leaders are perceived as:

• serving foreign business interests

• enabling resource extraction

• privatizing land or infrastructure

• sidelining Indigenous communities

they lose legitimacy among the population. This creates instability that criminal groups and political rivals exploit.

Violence often increases when:

• elections threaten entrenched interests

• reform challenges existing power arrangements

• leaders attempt to assert sovereignty

Why This Pattern Repeats in the South

This cycle repeats more often in the Global South because:

• colonialism disrupted traditional governance systems

• economic inequality remains extreme

• foreign powers historically interfered without accountability

• Indigenous populations were excluded from real political power

Political violence is not a cultural flaw—it is a symptom of unresolved structural conflict.

Indigenous Perspectives on This Reality

Many Native Americans and Indigenous people do not view these events as chaos—they view them as warnings.

They see what happens when:

• leadership lacks cultural accountability

• governments prioritize outsiders over their people

• sovereignty is compromised

From this perspective, instability is not mysterious. It is predictable.

Clarification

Explaining why political assassinations occur is not justifying them.
Recognizing cartel influence is not excusing violence.
Acknowledging foreign interference is not conspiracy—it is historical record.

The deeper issue remains the same:
Who truly controls the state—and who pays the cost when control is contested?