Haiti is in a state of chaos. It is ravaged and controlled by vicious gangs caught in a turf war, that terrorize, abuse, and murder at whim. Ultimately, Haiti, on the brink of state failure, will not recover until its internal security crisis and lack of good, legitimate governance are remediated. The United States should pursue a multifaceted "engaged ally" approach to address the underlying security and socio-economic issues to lead to long-term, positive change in Haiti. This approach acknowledges the unique capacity of the United States and its allies to bring about change in Haiti while still prioritizing a Haitian-led solution.

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Rebuilding Haiti: Pathways Out of Crisis: This webinar explores Haiti's complex challenges and potential solutions for the nation's recovery. Expert panelists examine the root causes of Haiti's ongoing crisis, including political instability, economic struggles, and security concerns. Discussion topics include the impact of gang violence, the collapse of democratic institutions, and the humanitarian crisis that has left millions food insecure. Panelists share perspectives about international efforts to support Haiti, the role of the Haitian diaspora, and approaches to rebuilding the country's infrastructure and economy.

The panel features Dr. Arturo Sotomayor, Professor, William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies; Dr. John Manza, Executive Director, Haiti Interagency Working Group; Websder Corneille, Haitian Linguist/Adjunct Lecturer, CLACS-Indiana University Bloomington; and Johanna Leblanc, J.D., LL.M., Partner of the Adomi Group/Adjunct Professor at Howard University.

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Rebuilding Haiti: Pathways Out of Crisis: This webinar explores Haiti's complex challenges and potential solutions for the nation's recovery. Expert panelists examine the root causes of Haiti's ongoing crisis, including political instability, economic struggles, and security concerns. Discussion topics include the impact of gang violence, the collapse of democratic institutions, and the humanitarian crisis that has left millions food insecure. Panelists share perspectives about international efforts to support Haiti, the role of the Haitian diaspora, and approaches to rebuilding the country's infrastructure and economy.

The panel features Dr. Arturo Sotomayor, Professor, William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies; Dr. John Manza, Executive Director, Haiti Interagency Working Group; Websder Corneille, Haitian Linguist/Adjunct Lecturer, CLACS-Indiana University Bloomington; and Johanna Leblanc, J.D., LL.M., Partner of the Adomi Group/Adjunct Professor at Howard University.

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Now more than ever, Latin America needs help with its security. In 2023, more than 40 of the world’s 50 most murderous cities were in Latin America and the Caribbean. Washington should again embrace the worldview that it can best protect its own security by helping democratic neighbors advance theirs. It can do so by drawing on the lessons of decades of U.S. security policy in the Americas but also by determining how those policies can be revised and improved. This article for Foreign Affairs explores the recent history of U.S. security assistance in Latin America and the Caribbean, highlighting the successes and failures in places such as El Salvador, Colombia, and Mexico. The article then addresses why such U.S. assistance continues to underdeliver, noting that the success of security assistance depends on leaders and organizations that the United States can sometimes influence but rarely control. Likewise, although the governments and security agencies on the receiving end provide convenient scapegoats when U.S. security assistance fails, Washington’s own bureaucracy shares the blame. To this end, the article concludes that Washington must remove its own bureaucratic barriers to strengthening security ties. Minimizing delivery timelines, committing to multiyear investments, and synchronizing priorities across U.S. government agencies would enhance the United States’ credibility as a reliable partner. The long history of U.S. security ties in the region provides a strong foundation for regional enthusiasm for U.S. initiatives. But whether such valuable programs can truly achieve results will depend on whether Washington can learn from past mistakes and overcome the bureaucratic and political limitations that have previously held it back.
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In this article for US Northern Command’s magazine, The Watch, Dr. William Godnick describes the contours and challenges faced at the United States’ "third border" in the Caribbean, specifically the multi-island state of the Bahamas. Dr. Godnick outlines the long-standing bilateral relationship between the United States and the Bahamas and how increased Chinese investment presents a new set of challenges for the relationship. He calls for re-thinking how security cooperation relationships should be forged with high, middle-income countries to avoid security gaps in our shared neighborhood.

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Dr. Paterson’s article shares the results of the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies threats survey conducted in late 2022. The survey generated almost 650 responses from Perry Center graduates who selected from 35 threats in the Americas. The results illuminate how leading Latin American and Caribbean scholars – particularly those who work in the security and defense field – see the conditions in the Americas and can help inform policy makers and scholars who follow events in the Americas.

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Latin America and the Caribbean are home to just 9 percent of the global population but account for a third of the world's homicides. A lethal mix of drugs, readily available firearms, and unemployed youth is fueling a wave of violence that has taken on epidemic proportions. Ecuador is now ground zero for the region's gang brutality. Whether Quito succeeds in containing the violence will depend as much on how it manages corruption and political instability as it does on the brute force called upon to suppress organized crime. The region's downward spiral need not be a chronicle of a death foretold. In Ecuador, newfound national resolve and emerging offers of international cooperation can be an effective antidote to expanding gang violence. Indeed, the success of one of South America's smallest countries in dismantling gangs and the corrupt institutions that protect them could be a promising start in turning the tide on Latin America's new crime wave.
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Food insecurity is an urgent problem in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and the LAC region’s susceptibility to food insecurity is poised to worsen with the accelerating effects of climate change. Food insecurity is not in itself a phenomenon that necessitates a military response. Indeed, food insecurity is “not” a traditional security threat to territorial borders and national sovereignty. Rather, it should be seen as an amplifier of political, economic, social, and ecological strain and vulnerabilities that can be exploited by malign actors and, thus, contributing to heightened security concerns. In this view, investments in food security should be considered as necessary, proactive, and preventative security measures, in support of civilian government agencies and the private and nonprofit sectors. Through a limited role focused on humanitarian assistance, disaster response, and interagency and international collaboration, the United States can leverage the capacities and resources of the DOD to support its regional partners in combating food insecurity. Anything less would risk losing a strategic, humanitarian, and moral imperative.

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In the past decade, South American vulnerable populations have increasingly become victims of human trafficking via cybersex venues like live webcam sites such as Chaturbate and My Free Cams. Given the increasing prevalence of cybersex trafficking, the complicated nature of addressing the crime, and South American governments’ previous reliance on militaries to address other forms of trafficking (i.e., drug trafficking), this paper answers the following question: should the region’s militaries be called upon to confront the pervasive crime? Ms. Nelson’s paper defines what human trafficking, sex trafficking, and cybersex trafficking are, and their distinctions; it discusses the advent of cybersex trafficking and its contemporary proliferation, challenges in fighting the crime, and possible responses.
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This document was created for the celebration of Perry Center AlumniDay, and its purpose is to share some of the bibliographic contributions published in 2023 by its graduates in various formats and modalities. They contribute to reflect, debate and research security and defense issues, evidencing the impact generated by the Perry Center within the framework of these issues at the national and regional level.

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