E D I T O R I A L and O P I N I O N

5/13/2013

E D I T O R I A L and O P I N I O N

Central Americas Security Challenges are a Wake-Up Call to the U.S. Border
By: Jerry Brewer

Escalating homicides and violence in the northern cone nations of Central America continues to pose misery and despair for all those within the path. This scourge perceived to be simply nestled within the narrow chokepoint that is Central America, continues to resonate in a myriad of new adversities and new challenges in all directions. As many governments and their security forces within the affected regions appear to be dysfunctional in terms of having answers or the necessary resources to be proactive in meeting the challenges; some other nations remain stymied by indecision and mental paralysis by the threat. Not in my backyard is a popular saying by many when their pronounced line in the sand has not been crossed in a manner that panics and instinctively breeds fear. Many confuse that line with the analogy of a swinging gate or revolving door that filters a somewhat perceived methodical transition of tolerance. Borders with the U.S. and Mexico, and Mexico with Guatemala and Belize are borders that are factually waging a war of criminal insurgency. Honduras and El Salvador is the next layer to the south facing this transnational insurgency. Remaining Central and South American neighboring nations report lesser urgency, but spikes in violence, crime, and drug use escalation are reported. As it should be clear to the masses now, the popular phrase of securing the border is a feel good statement that is meant well, but will always be a line that will be crossed due to the inherent nature of those seeking to flee to a new or better place; illicit supply and demand; and by those seeking to do harm to others. It can only be hoped that the borders are not ignored and given the resources to control the flow of all illegal entry to the best of the governing bodies abilities.

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Starting with Mexico and Central America, the dynamics of their own border failures progressively resonates from nation to nation. This ultimately fuels the U.S. border security dilemma and urgency to properly assess threat and deploy adequate resources and methods to achieve an acceptable level of national security. We are not even speaking of the monumental measures necessary to maintain and interdict maritime and aviation security threats. To the south of the U.S. border weak governance and ungoverned spaces, vast lawless zones, corruption, criminal threats, weak judicial systems, and poverty contributes to the widespread insecurity of the region. How can multifaceted security conditions in these nation countries be addressed and improved? Many of these nations instantly claim that the voracious U.S. drug demand is the problem and is responsible for the record-setting homicide rates and violence throughout the Americas. There is no doubt that well-financed drug trafficking organizations, youth gangs, and other transnational organized criminals overwhelm governments resources, but the rule of law must be enforced in civilized societies; human life must be respected, and human rights prevail. Criminal death and violence far exceeds the simple boundaries of drug trafficking. These criminal organizations are thriving on robbery, kidnapping/extortion, murder for hire, human/sex trafficking, and other acts of threats and intimidation. Some nations have expressed fears of becoming a failed state due to these armies of crime that carry no flag or political allegiance. Many list the underlying social conditions and structural weaknesses in persistent poverty, inequality, and unemployment as primary reasons for not being able to recover from the violence. Others claim that the easy and immediate lure to vast amounts of wealth achievable through crimes and not through years of intense labor is a preferable choice. After all, the claim of an estimated US$60 B a year drug addiction that must be supplied is real, and the necessary tools such as land vehicles, aircraft, maritime vessels, and related properties, wealth, and lifestyle must be maintained. Hard to convince those used to that lifestyle to return to the factories or farms. Mexico reports an estimated 60,000 killed in violence since at least 2006. Murder in Guatemala is continuing to climb at a steady rate. Guatemala's National Institute of Forensic Sciences recently reported that an analysis revealed that MS 13 gangs there used 32 different guns to allegedly commit 238 murders. Prosecutors say the MS members used the weapons to kill rival gangs, prison guards, and victims of robbery and extortion. The continuing threats to the Americas are clearly indicated by the continuing shifting roles of military to policing duties. Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala have deployed thousands of troops to help their often underpaid and poorly equipped police forces to carry out public security functions, without clearly defining when those deployments might end. Mexico appears to now be confused as to how to achieve the rule of law.

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATES

United States of America
Jerry Brewer is C.E.O. of Criminal Justice International Associates, a global threat mitigation firm headquartered in northern Virginia. His website is located at www,cjiausa.org TWITTER:

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