Latin American armed forces have a wide array of missions, from defense and security to humanitarian asistance/disaster relief (HA/DR), to United Nations peacekeeping operations (PKOs). However, there is one mission that has gained importance in recent years: environmental protection. The heightened risks of climate change have made governments in the Americas more aware of environmental protection and have assigned many Latin American militaries to the mission. This article examines the activities of the Peruvian armed forces to protect the environment of the Andean and Amazonian nation.
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This article focuses on the role of indigenous personnel in the Ecuadorian armed forces from a sociological perspective. Indigenous representatives of the armed forces is a unique feature of the Ecuadorian Army and perhaps a model for other Latin American and Caribbean nations who can benefit from the special skills and perspectives these individuals bring to the security environment, particularly in remote areas of Latin American countries that have a small presence of government representatives.
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The article addresses the tense border dispute between Venezuela and Guyana that has been submitted to the International Court of Justice for adjudication. Aside from the high stakes to be awarded to the recipient of an ICJ decision, the article also examines the process the two countries have accepted to resolve their dispute. It is an example of how LA/C nations defer to international conflict resolution institutions to resolve differences rather than resorting to armed force.
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This article provides highlights of the Perry Center's 2022 cyber policy course, “Cybersecurity Policy in the Americas: Challenges for Policy-Strategic Analysis,” led by Dr. Boris Saavedra.
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A moderated discussion with guest speaker Lt. Col. Michael Jones, Executive Director of CARICOM IMPACS, exploring the development of the Caribbean Maritime Security Strategy and its implications in the region.
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This paper focuses on vaccination practices among the Western Hemisphere's armed forces. The paper will look at three issues: (1) the institutional and normative sources of vaccine requirements and mandates; (2) the alternatives provided to service members who choose not to be vaccinated; and (3) incentives and penalties for non-compliance. The analysis is broken down by sub-regions of the Western Hemisphere: North America, the Caribbean (non-Spanish speaking), Central America and the Dominican Republic, and South America.
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In Latin America, it is expected that climate change will exacerbate extreme weather events such as hurricanes, droughts, and wildfires, a consequence of extremely dry conditions. The armed forces of Latin America have a long history of participating in Humanitarian Assistance/ Disaster Relief (HA/DR) operations when natural disasters events occur. To be prepared for the next disaster, regional armed forces constantly train via local and multinational exercises, while defense budgets are aimed at acquiring HA/DR equipment.
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A moderated discussion with two of the authors of the recently published English-language book Adversarial System Analysis of the Salvadoran Gangs which examines the organizational dynamics and evolution of the Salvadoran gangs.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the post-World War II political, economic, social and international order with many questioning whether our current democratic and economic institutions are suitable for and capable of recovering from this profound health, economic and governance crisis. While democracies and open economies were hard hit by the pandemic, illicit networks including transnational criminal groups, terrorist organizations and their facilitators have proven more resilient, expanding their activities and influence in the Americas. This article will examine the impact COVID-19 has had on the health, economy, democracy, security of the region and on illicit networks. The article will conclude with recommendations on how nations incorporate strategic foresight and anticipatory governance to safeguard their sovereignty and counter to the growing threats from corruption and illicit networks in the new world order.
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