The Armed Forces and Drug Trafficking: Operation Rio as a Case Study
Abstract
The employment of the Brazilian Armed Forces against drug trafficking in urban areas, using the Operation Rio as a model, does not solve the problem of drugs and contributes to the militarization of the public security role in Brazil. An agreement between Federal and Rio de Janeiro state governments in 1994 allowed the employment of a joint task force of approximately 125,000 soldiers and policemen in order to reduce drug-related crimes and reestablish the law and order in Rio de Janeiro city. However the limited scale and scope of military operations focused on poor areas of the city were not sufficient enough to decrease violence indices, because drug trafficking in Brazil was widespread along neighboring states and countries, and was also distributed within different social classes, which included politicians, financial organizations and other state officials. Operation Rio also raised complex issues about civil-military relations, since the presence of military forces in the streets revived familiar scenes from the period of 1964 to 1984, when a military government imposed a dictatorship in Brazil.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA524843
Entities
People
- Luiz O. Gaviao
Organizations
- Marine Corps University