Latin America’s Growing Security Gap

Bibliographic Data

ID6286864
AuthorsDavid Pion-Berlin (0000-0002-9887-7083), Harold A Trinkunas (0000-0003-4062-9930), Harold Trinkunas
Year2011
Volume22
Issue1
Pages39-53
Publication date2011-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of democracy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1045-5736 • E-ISSN: 1086-3214
PublisherProject MUSE (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1353/jod.2011.a412892
OpenAlexW4379467924
LanguageEN
Citations received18
References cited1

Balancing freedom and security is a challenge for any democracy, yet in Latin America, governments are once again addressing this issue as the region becomes increasingly violent. A legacy of authoritarianism has led Latin American reformers to advocate limits on their security forces, directing their militaries towards external threats and democratizing their police to focus on community issues. However, violent actors have become more capable and organized, overwhelming the capabilities of police. Rather than calling the military back on to the streets, as some states have done, the best solution may be found in hybrid security forces that combine a democratic law enforcement orientation with the capability to contain emerging intermediate level threats

Authoritarianism · Democracy · Enforcement · Internal security · Latin Americans · Law enforcement · National security · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Security forces · Sociology · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance · International Relations in Latin America · Law · Peacebuilding and International Security · Public Administration

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