U.S. Policy Solutions for Northern Triangle Problems

Abstract

The Northern Triangle region of Central America has experienced instability for many years due tocrime, violence, corruption, and a lack of economic opportunity for its citizens. This instability has drivenirregular migration to the United States in record numbers for nearly a decade. This thesis presents a gapanalysis and makes recommendations aimed at improving the overall effectiveness of U.S. initiatives tostabilize the Northern Triangle. The overall strategic focus, funding levels, consistency, and programevaluations are examined to determine how these initiatives have either promoted or hindered their success.Research indicates that the Mrida Initiative, the Central American Regional Security Initiative, and the U.S.Strategy for Engagement in Central America have focused primarily on the symptoms as opposed to the rootcauses of migration. This thesis finds that the U.S. funding intended for the Northern Triangle must beconsistent, and the programs involved must be properly monitored and evaluated to determine theireffectiveness. These U.S. initiatives could be more successful with a shift in strategy combined withwell-funded, coordinated, and evaluated programs.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 2022
Accession Number
AD1200500

Entities

People

  • Larry N. Ervin

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Central America
  • Commerce
  • Congress
  • Criminals
  • Department Of Defense
  • Drug Abuse
  • Economic Development
  • El Salvador
  • Foreign Aid
  • Foreign Relations
  • Governments
  • Homeland Security
  • Interagency Coordination
  • International Law
  • Law
  • National Security
  • Police
  • Recreation
  • Regional Security
  • Social Welfare
  • Societies
  • United States

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.