Violence in the Americas

Jonathan D. Rosen, Hanna Samir Kassab

• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN: 9798881884444
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Global Politics
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Many countries throughout Latin America have experienced high levels of corruption, drug trafficking, and violence, which has created elements of fragility. The book is comprises case studies that explore the nature of violence in countries throughout the region. Moreover, it seeks to address some of the ways in which governments have sought to address violence. The cases examined in this volume are quite diverse, illustrating different types of violence as all of the countries in Latin America are not the same. Countries like Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico have high levels of drug trafficking and organized crime. Strategies designed to combat drug trafficking organization, particularly in Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil, and counter-gang strategies in Central America have help foment violence as these various criminal organizations have responded to such government policies. Yet other countries, like Peru and Bolivia, have much lower levels of violence. However, the perception of insecurity is quite high despite the fact that Peru has one of the lower homicide rates in the country. On the other hand, the nature of violence in Bolivia is quite different. This country does not have a homicide rate like El Salvador, but the country has witnessed public lynchings and other forms of violence. This volume is an effort to better understand the major trends in political violence in this particularly violent region.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter One. Violence and Security in Argentina: Major Trends and Policy Responses
• Chapter Two. Brazil: Violence and Public (un)Safety
• Chapter Three. Spectacular (In) Justice: Impunity and Communal Violence in Bolivia
• Chapter Four. Violence in Peru
• Chapter Five. Negotiating Peace and Strengthening the State: Reducing Violence in Colombia
• Chapter Six. Violence: El Salvador’s “Ill-Structured” Problem
• Chapter Seven. At a Crossroads: Can Guatemala Prevail in Fight against Violence?
• Chapter Eight. Violence in Mexico: An Examination of the Major Trends and Challenges
• Chapter Nine. Violence in Haiti: History, Reforms, and Current Trends
• Chapter Ten. Transnational Organized Crime and Violence in the Americas
• Chapter Eleven. United States Security Policy in Latin America and the Caribbean
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
• About the Contributors