In this presentation, we are going to deal with a very sensitive subject, which affects Latin America. It is quite a controversial issue, which also creates a lot of fantasy in occidental minds. Although people may frequently exaggerate, it is an unquestionable fact that Latin American has known a very strong upsurge of violence since the 1980's. We are going to discuss organized crime in Latin American, and take a particular interest in two kinds of phenomenon: the "narcos" and the "maras". We are also going to see the spread of those phenomena across borders. To do so, we must first explain exactly "narcos" and "maras" mean. As you may have guessed, "narcos" refers to the Spanish word: "narcotraficantes", which means "drug dealers". This usually refers to marijuana and cocaine that grow in Latin America and are sold all over the world, via organized bands. Here, we shall talk about the whole chain, from production to money laundering, that is controlled by the "narcos": in that way they are very close to the mafiosos. They also challenge the states, since their relations to the public powers are not so clear.
[...] All these measures keep being difficult to apply for many reasons linked to the situation of the Latin American countries (we've seen the example of the open border between Columbia and Venezuela): another great problem is corruption, which bounds the state authorities with the “narcos”. Cases of corruption of American agents for the Drug Enforcement Administration have even been reported . ! The lack of cooperation from the Latin American governments has been one of the most blocking problems: indeed, they often argue that an international cooperation, which would be the best solution in that case, would undermine their national sovereignty. [...]
[...] You look at these young persons as persons with a positive capital and not only a violent and criminal potential. It relies on the social link created by the gang (positive aspect). Their questionable efficiency The first plan of the US was a semi-failure: the culture of the coca really decreased in Peru and in Bolivia, helped by the defeat of the Maoist guerrilla of the “Partido Comunista Del Peru Sendero Luminoso in Peru in 1993, and in Bolivia with General Banzer's arrival in 1997. But this production was only moved to Columbia. [...]
[...] Of course, it can be quite different from a gang to another. Cordula Strocka distinguish between the Salvadorian maras, the Peruvian pandillas, the Brazilian “galeras cariocas” (rather inoffensive) and the “quadrilhas” (extremely dangerous and violent) from Brazil too. However, most of the times, these maras have both very violent habits and activities. For instance, to join the MS-13 that we talked about, a new member has to get beaten up during 13 seconds. The passion for tattoos is in the same idea. [...]
[...] All the same, there is a general and encouraging trend: the share of the GDP represented by drug traffic has decreased in the past decades in Latin American countries. For instance, it went from in the 80's in Columbia, it was only 2.5 at the end of the 90's. The measures taken against the maras were also not always very efficient. That is the case for the very hash policies, described by the author of the article as “counterproductive”. Indeed, there is nothing worse for a young boy to be locked up in jail with violent and dangerous inmates who can teach them all the crime rules. [...]
[...] The growth and the expansion of Narcos and Maras in Latin America The renewal of an old tradition We can begin with drug traffic, because it is “narcos”' activity and one of the main source of funds for Thus, we have to remember that the coca leaf is part of ancestral cultures in Latin America: South-American Indians were already used to chewing it five thousand years ago. Indeed, it is said to have therapeutic effects, appeasing hunger and thirst. When the Spanish arrived in South America, they contributed to expand the coca leaf on all the territory, using it to stimulate slaves and Indians, thanks to its energizing properties. [...]
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