Sylvia Longmire, a former Air Force special agent and a senior intelligence analyst for the state of California, will shed light on a timely, violent issue when she presents a lecture Wednesday, Oct. 19, based on her new book, Cartel: The Coming Invasion of Mexico’s Drug Wars.

The consultant and writer speaks at 8 p.m. in the Jonsson Performance Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Cartel by Sylvia Longmire

Cartel examines the drug cartel problem from its roots in Mexico to its consequences felt throughout North America.

Channeling her long experience working on border issues, Longmire will address the critical problems facing Mexico and the United States, including ways to deter youths in Mexico from joining the cartels and changing drug laws on both sides of the border.

“It’s not just Mexico’s drug war,” Longmire said recently. “It’s our drug war too. It affects every corner of the United States, not just the border.”

Longmire worked extensively in counterintelligence and counterespionage during her eight years with Air Force Office of Special Investigations. From 2005 to 2009, Longmire worked as a senior intelligence analyst for the California Emergency Management Agency’s Situational Awareness Unit, focusing almost exclusively on Mexican drug trafficking organizations and Southwest border violence issues.

She is currently an independent consultant and freelance writer, and is also on the Board of Advisors for Stanford University’s nonprofit organization Love Thy Neighbor, Mexico.

Longmire has lent her insight and expertise to CNN, MSNBC, BBC World Radio and The New York Times.

The event is sponsored by the School of Arts and Humanities in conjunction with The Organization of Latin American Studies (OLAS) at UT Dallas. OLAS promotes campus awareness and interest in social, cultural, economic and political aspects of Latin America.