Strategic Insights, Volume 4, Issue 5, May 2005. The Maras and National Security in Central America
Abstract
The level of attention directed at the maras, pandillas, or gangs, in Central America and the United States, is increasing rapidly. Not only are there significant articles in publications such as The New York Times, The Economist, and Foreign Affairs, but there are also regional conferences sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Southern Command, the Presidents of Central America, and a large variety of national, regional, and international police organizations. With the opening of debate on the Central American Free Trade Agreement in the U.S. Congress in April 2005, there is likely to be even more attention to the problem the maras present for people in the region in terms of homicides, robberies, harassment, and extortion. In view of the violence the maras promote, it is no wonder that sectors of the population look back with nostalgia to the military regimes when there was order and stability, albeit authoritarian order enforced by state directed violence, as the good old days. There is no doubt but that the maras are a pervasive criminal fact in Central America. The question I will address in this paper is whether, in addition to their unquestioned and pervasive criminal behavior, they are also a threat to national security in the region and to the United States.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA485131
Entities
People
- Thomas C. Bruneau
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School