David Mora
As Senior Analyst for Mexico at the International Crisis Group, David researches organised crime, violence, corruption and conflict in the country, blending fieldwork and investigative reporting tools. He analyses and formulates policy strategies aimed at preventing, mitigating or resolving conflict.Trained as an investigative reporter and documentary producer, David has eight years of journalism experience, working for diverse U.S. news media organisations such as VICE News, NBC News, ProPublica and The Atlantic. His coverage of migration, criminal violence and corruption in Mexico has earned some of the most prestigious journalism awards in the United States. Before journalism, he worked as a human rights researcher for various civil society groups in Mexico. He holds an MS in Investigative Journalism from Columbia Journalism School and a BA in International Relations from Universidad Externado de Colombia.
Listen to Dominic Bowen and David unpack how organised crime in Mexico has evolved beyond drug trafficking into diversified systems of territorial control, economic extraction, and governance, and read our analysis on why cartel behaviour is often adaptive rather than chaotic, as fragmentation, corruption, and shifting state responses shape the dynamics of violence and power across the country.
