Tag Archives: security

Paraguay’s Anti-Terrorist Group and the US

By Eliot Brockner | Published: November 10, 2009
On 4 November 2009, the United States announced they would donate US$1.39 million in equipment towards the formation of an elite unit of highly trained troops in the Paraguayan army. Backed by US funding (sources put the total amount of the expedition at US$3 million) and training from SOUTHCOM, the troops are trained in counterterrorism [...]
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Accountability Amongst Brazil’s Police

By Eliot Brockner | Published: March 24, 2009
O Globo, a Rio de Janeiro-based daily, published an article on 24 March talking about a unique and creative way Brazil is battling high levels of crime and police corruption. In Brazlandia, a neighborhood in the capital city of Brasilia, a program was launched on 23 January titled “A Policia Militar e voce – Uniao [...]
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Coffee Smuggling and the Importance of Successful Nation Branding

By Eliot Brockner | Published: March 8, 2009
At first glance, the Honduran-Guatemalan border at El Florido appears no different from any other international land border crossing in Latin America. Migrant day workers mix with road-weary truckers, soldiers, little kids selling everything from candy to cigarettes, and myriad other overland travelers destined for points unknown. Customs officials dutifully check documentation of each person [...]
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Brazil’s Army Cont’d

By Eliot Brockner | Published: February 1, 2009
I recently had a letter published in this week’s edition (January 31-February 6) of The Economist. The letter, which I’ve copied and pasted below, is in response to this article about the Brazilian military from the January 17 edition of the economist, and is related to the 24 January commentary found on LatAmThought about securing [...]
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Brazil’s Other Frontier

By Eliot Brockner | Published: January 24, 2009
It is far less alluring, polarizing, and smaller than the Amazon. It attracts very few tourists and minimal attention from Brazilian and international conservation groups. Nestled between the Paraguay and Paraná rivers lay an isolated area known as the Chaco, home to an approximately 500 mile-long border shared by Brazil and Paraguay. Just southeast of [...]
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Argentina and the Drug Trade

By Eliot Brockner | Published: December 14, 2008
The nation most known for its meat and tango is facing the possibility of adding something more to the notoriety list: a haven for drug smuggling. Within the last two weeks, Argentine customs officials and police have seized over 1000 kilos of cocaine in the port of Buenos Aires, destined for Spain for distribution [...]
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Colombia buying weapons from Russia?

By Sebastian Chaskel | Published: October 28, 2008
It is not surprising that Venezuela, Bolivia, and other Latin American governments are strengthening their military ties with Russia. Since the United States suspended arms sells to Venezuela in 2006, Venezuela has signed billions of dollars worth of weapons deals with Russia. Bolivia’s interest in buying weapons from Russia spiked in the last month as [...]
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