US National Security Concerns in Latin America and the Caribbean : The Concept of Ungoverned Spaces and Failed States

Illustrations Maps 4.1 Index of failed states, 2011 4.2 Drug trafficking routes in Mexico 4.3 Mexican drug cartels and their area of influence 4.4 Casualties associated to delinquency due to presumed rivalry, 2007-2010 Tables 2.1 Subcategories of ungoverned areas 2.2 The fragility framework 2.3 USAID programs to South In this edited volume, scholars from Latin America and the United States will analyze how US foreign policy making circles have applied the concepts to the creation of new US security initiatives in the Latin American region during the post September 11, 2001 era. The concepts of 'ungoverned spaces' and 'failed states' where the limited presence of the state is seen as a challenge to global security have generated a rich intellectual debate in recent years. In this edited volume, scholars from Latin America and the United States will analyze how US foreign policy making circles have applied the concepts to the creation of new US security initiatives in the Latin American region during the post September 11, 2001 era. The extension of concepts to Latin America has been significant because it has meant that during the past thirteen years US policy in the Hemisphere has shifted away from the primarily economic emphasis of the 1990s, the era of the Free Trade Area of the Americas project, back to a security focus reminiscent of the Cold War era. The last decade has witnessed a significant increase in US military presence in the region highlighted by the re-launching of the Caribbean-based Fourth Fleet, the militarization of drug fighting efforts in Mexico, and the establishment of several new military bases in Colombia, the staunchest US ally in the region "The concepts of 'ungoverned spaces' and 'failed states' where the limited presence of the state is seen as a challenge to global security have generated a rich intellectual debate in recent years. In this edited volume, scholars from Latin America and the United States will analyze how US foreign policy making circles have applied the concepts to the creation of new US security initiatives in the Latin American region during the post September 11, 2001 era. The extension of concepts to Latin America has been significant because it has meant that during the past thirteen years US policy in the Hemisphere has shifted away from the primarily economic emphasis of the 1990s, the era of the Free Trade Area of the Americas project, back to a security focus reminiscent of the Cold War era. The last decade has witnessed a significant increase in US military presence in the region highlighted by the re-launching of the Caribbean-based Fourth Fleet, the militarization of drug fighting efforts in Mexico, and the establishment of several new military bases in Colombia, the staunchest US ally in the region"-- Provided by publisher Front Matter....Pages i-vii Introduction....Pages 1-8 From the US Department of State, USAID, and Washington-Based Think Tanks: The Search for Ungoverned Spaces in South America....Pages 9-40 The United States and the Security Agenda in the Caribbean Basin after 9/11....Pages 41-60 The Militarization of Mexico-US Relations: Ungovernable Areas and a Failed State?....Pages 61-79 Maras, Contragoverned Spaces, and Sovereignty....Pages 81-92 Central America: Ungoverned Spaces and the National Security Policy of the United States....Pages 93-112 Security Issues on the Mexico-Guatemala Border and Their Relationship to the New National Security Policy of the United States....Pages 113-141 Old Wine in New Wineskins: Incorporating the “Ungoverned Spaces” Concept into Plan Colombia....Pages 143-178 US Response to the Haitian Earthquake in the Context of the Concepts of Failed State and Ungoverned Spaces....Pages 179-186 Conclusion....Pages 187-188 Back Matter....Pages 189-211