Fighting terrorism while promoting democracy: Competing priorities in U.S. defense policy toward Latin America

Journal of Third World Studies

Volumn 23, Issue 2, 2006, Pages 59-77

  Weeks, Gregory ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

CIVIL-MILITARY RELATIONSHIP; DEMOCRACY; POLICY IMPLEMENTATION; POLICY STRATEGY; REGIONAL SECURITY; SECURITY THREAT; SOCIAL SECURITY; TERRORISM;

LATIN AMERICA; NORTH AMERICA; UNITED STATES;

EID: 33751119888     PISSN: 87553449     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Article

References (49)

1. Edwin Lieuwen, Arms and Politics in Latin America (New York: Praeger, 1960): p. 262.
2. E.g. see John T. Fishel and Kimbra L. Fishel, "The Impact of the US Army School of the Americas on Host Nation Militaries: An Effective Instrument of Policy or Merely a Scapegoat?" Low Intensity Conflict & Law Enforcement 7, 1 (Summer 1998): pp. 47-70;
3. Russell W. Ramsey, "The Democratic Sustainment Course at the U.S. Army School of the Americas," Defense Institute of Security Assistance Management 22, 1 (Fall 1999): pp. 84-88;
4. Russell W. Ramsey and Antonio Raimundo, "Human Rights Instruction at the U.S. Army School of the Americas," Human Rights Review 2, 3 (April-June 2001): pp. 92-116.
5. Brian Loveman argues that even into the twenty-first century, "For most civilians the military institutions, still partly totemic, inspired a combination of fear, reverence, and nationalistic pride. For their part, military leaders continued to doubt the politicians' sincerity, trustworthiness, and competency." Brian Loveman, For la Patria: Politics and the Armed Forces in Latin America (Wilmington, DE: SR Books, 1999): p. 280.
6. Department of Defense, United States Security Strategy for the Americas, (Office of the Secretary of Defense, October 2000): p. vi.
7. Organization of American States, 23rd Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs. Resolution Strengthening Hemispheric Cooperation to Prevent, Combat, and Eliminate Terrorism (RC.23/Res. 1/0 1) September 21, 2001.
8. Organization of American States, Inter-American Convention Against Terrorism, Ag/Res. 1840 (XXXII-O/02), June 3, 2002.
9. For example, in his lengthy statement of military goals in the western hemisphere in March 2002, the Acting Commander in Chief of the United States Southern Command did not mention the OAS at all. United States Senate, 107th Congress, Armed Forces Committee, Posture Statement of Major General James D. Speer, United States Army, Acting Commander in Chief United States Southern Command, March 5, 2002.
10. Linda Robinson, "Terror Close to Home." U.S. News and World Report October 6, 2003.
11. The National Security Strategy of the United States of America (September 2002) p. 6. http://www.whitehouse.gov/nsc/nss.pdf (last accessed May 27, 2005).
12. Although "ungoverned spaces" is not new to Latin American military doctrine, after 9/11 the U.S. government quickly gave it renewed prominence. The general point would subsequently be reiterated by the U.S. Southern Command: "Building coalitions, training, equipping forces, and improving capabilities will enable allies to significantly reduce their ungoverned spaces and gain greater control of their borders." United States House of Representatives, House Armed Services Committee, "Statement by General James T. Hill, United States Army, Commander, United States Southern Command," March 12, 2003.
13. United States Department of Defense News Transcript, "Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Myers Briefing at the Foreign Press Center," November 26, 2002.
14. Eric Green, "Rumsfeld Says Nations of the Americas Must Work Together Against Terrorism." November 17, 2004, U.S. Department of State website, http://usinfo.state.gov/is/Archive/2004/Nov/17-3276.html (last accessed May 27, 2005).
15. "Declaration of Quito," Sixth Conference of Minister of Defense of the Americas, November 16-21, 2004. Available at http:// vicdmaecuador2004.org/html/index.htm (last accessed May 27, 2005).
16. Ambassador Otto Reich, "The Administration's Four Goals in the Western Hemisphere," Remarks to the Heritage Foundation, October 31, 2002. United States Department of State Website, http:// www.state.gov/p/wha/rls/rm/14880.htm (last accessed May 27, 2005).
17. For an analysis of U.S. policy makers' view of security threats during the Cold War, see Lars Schoultz, National Security and United States Policy toward Latin America (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1987).
18. As Ronald Reagan put it in his address before a joint session of Congress in 1983, "We do not view security assistance as an end in itself, but as a shield for democratization, economic development, and diplomacy." Ronald Reagan, Speaking My Mind (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1989), p. 157.
19. Center for International Policy, "Colombia Program." http:// www.ciponline.org/colombia/aidtable.htm (accessed May 27, 2005).
20. "Ejército puso en marcha operatives antiterroristas," El Observador October 16, 2002.
21. "Fau niega peligro terrorista," La República October 17, 2002.
22. "Amenaza terrorista en Uruguay," El Observador, August 5, 2004.
23. "Blurring the Lines: Trends in U.S. Military Programs with Latin America." Joint Publication from the Latin American Working Group Educational Fund, the Center for Economic Policy and Washington Office on Latin America. September 2004. http://www.ciponline.org/colombia/ cipanal.htm (accessed May 27, 2005).
24. Thomas C. Bruneau, Ministries of Defense and Democratic Civil-Military Relations. Partnership for Democratic Governance and Security, Occasional Paper, August 2001.
25. David Pion-Berlin, "Civil-Military Circumvention: How Argentine State Institutions Compensate for a Weakened Chain of Command." In David Pion-Berlin (ed.). Civil-Military Relations in Latin America: New Analytical Perspectives (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2001), pp. 135-160.
26. Ibid, p. 135.
27. Douglas L. Bland, "A Unified Theory of Civil-Military Relations," Armed Forces & Society 26, 1 (Fall 1999): p. 17.
28. Discussions of the relevance of the defense ministry in different Latin American countries can be found in John Fishel, "El componente orgánìco de las relaciones cívico-militares en América Latina: El papel del Ministerio de Defensa," Paper Presented to the 2000 Meetings of the Asociacón de Estudios Latinoamericanos, Miami, Florida;
29. Gregory Weeks, "Is the Mold Being Broken? Defense Ministries and Democracy in Latin America," Journal of Political and Military Sociology 31, 1 (Summer 2003): pp. 23-37.
30. There are numerous other facilities located both in the United States and in Latin America that are dedicated solely to technical military training.
31. Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies website, http://www3.ndu.edu/chds/ index/html (last accessed May 27, 2005).
32. See Gregory Weeks, "Fighting the Enemy Within: Terrorism, the School of the Americas, and the Military in Latin America," Human Rights Review 5, 1 (October-December 2003): pp. 12-27.
33. Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, 2002-2003 Course Catalog.
34. J. Mark Ruhl, "The Guatemalan Military Since the Peace Accords: The Fate of Reform Under Arzú and Portillo," Latin American Politics and Society 47, 1 (Spring 2005): 55-85.
35. For an interesting, though dated, analysis, see Francisco Rojas Aravena (ed.). Gasto militar en América Latina: procesos de decisions y actores claves (Santiago: FLACSO 1994).
36. Daniel Zirker and Matthew Redinger, "The Military, Intelligence Agencies, Political Scandals, and Democracy in Brazil - 1998-2000." Journal of Political and Military Sociology 31, 1 (Summer 2003): p. 52.
37. For example, see Russell J. Swenson and Susana C. Lemozy (eds.). Intelligence Professionalism in the Americas. (Washington, DC: Center for Strategic Intelligence Research, 2003).
38. Gregory Weeks, "The Military and Intelligence Reform in Chile," Fuerzas Armadas y Sociedad 18, 3-4 (2004): 245-258.
39. "Paraguayan President Presents Security Plan to Congress," BBC Monitoring International Reports, March 9, 2005.
40. "Militares analizan terrorismo y maras," Listín Diario April 1, 2005.
41. "Alistan fuerzas para atacar al terrorismo," La Prensa August 22, 2004.
42. For a review, see Michael Dodson, "Assessing Judicial Reform in Latin America." Latin American Research Review 37, 2 (2002): pp. 200-220.
43. William C. Prillaman, The Judiciary and Democratic Decay in Latin America: Declining Confidence in the Rule of Law (Westport, CT: Praeger 2000).
44. Paul S. Vaky, "The U.S. Agency for International Development." In Edmundo Jarquín and Fernando Carrillo (eds.). Justice Delayed: Judicial Reform in Latin America (Washington, DC: Inter-American Development Bank 1998): pp. 137-141.
45. Anthony W. Pereira, "Virtual Legality: Authoritarian Legacies and the Reform of Military Justice in Brazil, the Southern Cone, and Mexico." Comparative Political Studies 34, 5 (June 2001) pp. 555-574.
46. Jeffrey F. Addicott and Guy B. Roberts, "Building Democracies with Southern Command's Legal Engagement Strategy," Parameters (Spring 2001): pp. 72-84.
47. Andrés Fontana and Jorge Battaglino, "Secrecy and Civil Liberties in Latin America,2; Conflict, Security, and Development 1, 1 (2001) p. 128.
48. Jeffrey F. Addicott and Guy B. Roberts, "Building Democracies with Southern Command's Legal Engagement Strategy," Parameters (Spring 2001), pp. 72-84.
49. Andrés Fontana and Jorge Barraglino, "Secrecy and Civil Liberties in Latin America," Conflict, Security, and Development 1, 1 (2001) p. 128.