VII Security and Development Conference “Security Challenges in Latin America”

The Latin American region faces various challenges, but one of them is becoming increasingly palpable and worrisome: security threats.

On the one hand, the rise of the “narco” and citizen insecurity have been a priority for Latin American societies for years. In some cases, it has been confronted with hard hand as in El Salvador and in others, criminal organizations have been able to co-opt institutions and challenge the state from within, as in Mexico and Ecuador.

On the other hand, the lack of security has also translated into a political climate of polarization that erodes democratic coexistence. Presidential alternations such as those that have occurred in recent years in Brazil, Argentina and Colombia have strained democratic representation to the point of questioning the legitimacy of the state.

And finally, some countries have fallen directly into an authoritarian drift where all kinds of freedoms (from personal freedom to freedom of expression, including food) have been called into question, as in Venezuela, which is following in the footsteps of Nicaragua and Cuba.

In sum, security remains a top priority in the Latin American region: its absence constrains development, while motivating other structural ills such as corruption, violence and the erosion of democracy.

PROGRAM

09:45-10:00 h Opening and presentation
Presentation of the event: Sergio Caballero. University of Deusto
Félix Arrieta, Vice-Dean, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of Deusto.
Colonel José Luis Calvo. Director of Coordination and Strategic Studies (DICOES) of the Ministry of Defense.

10:00-12:00 h. Round Table 1
Context and diagnosis of threats in Latin America.
Moderator: Sergio Caballero. University of Deusto.
– Colonel José Luis Calvo. Director of Coordination and Strategic Studies (DICOES) of the Ministry of Defense.
– Concepción Anguita, Complutense University of Madrid.
– Luis Schenoni, University College London
– Mariano de Alba, independent analyst
– Francisco Verdes-Montenegro, U.Complutense de Madrid

12:00-14:00 Round Table 2
Security Challenges: Organized Crime
Moderator: Sergio Caballero. University of Deusto
– Sonia Alda, Camilo José Cela University.
– Pablo Baisotti, University of Essex
– Jerónimo Ríos Sierra, Complutense University of Madrid
– David Andrés Rodríguez, U. Deusto

14:00-14:15 Conclusions and closing.
Colonel José Luis Calvo. Director of Coordination and Strategic Studies (DICOES) of the Ministry of Defense.
Sergio Caballero. Professor. University of Deusto.