Are the Maras Overwhelming Governments in Central America

Abstract

Violence in central america has grown so much in the last half decade that colombia is no longer the homicide capital of the region. in fact, it now ranks fourth in that ignominious distinction behind el Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. the violence is mostly due to the phenomenon of street gangs, also called pandillas or gangas, but most often maras. they have grown in number, sophistication, and stature and have largely overwhelmed the security forces of central america's fledgling democracies. Altogether, these maras represent a significant threat to the security of the countries in the region. numerous national, binational, multinational, regional, and hemispheric conferences have sought to address the problem.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2006
Accession Number
ADA483853

Entities

People

  • Steven C. Boraz
  • Thomas C. Bruneau

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Central America
  • Commerce
  • Crime
  • Criminals
  • Economic Development
  • El Salvador
  • Governments
  • Law
  • National Security
  • Organizational Structure
  • Police
  • Political Systems
  • Security
  • Societies
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • Urban Areas

Readers

  • International Relations, focusing on Korea-Africa and North Korea-South Korea relations, and Nigeria-Latin American Relations.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Strategic Security Studies