Violence in the Americas

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Many countries throughout Latin America have experienced high levels of corruption, drug trafficking, and violence, which has created elements of fragility. The book is comprises case studies that explore the nature of violence in countries throughout the region. Moreover, it seeks to address some of the ways in which governments have sought to address violence. The cases examined in this volume are quite diverse, illustrating different types of violence as all of the countries in Latin America are not the same. Countries like Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico have high levels of drug trafficking and organized crime. Strategies designed to combat drug trafficking organization, particularly in Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil, and counter-gang strategies in Central America have help foment violence as these various criminal organizations have responded to such government policies. Yet other countries, like Peru and Bolivia, have much lower levels of violence. However, the perception of insecurity is quite high despite the fact that Peru has one of the lower homicide rates in the country. On the other hand, the nature of violence in Bolivia is quite different. This country does not have a homicide rate like El Salvador, but the country has witnessed public lynchings and other forms of violence. This volume is an effort to better understand the major trends in political violence in this particularly violent region.

Reviews

Violence in contemporary Latin America takes many different forms, and is hard to measure precisely or to explain fully. This up to date survey of almost all the major countries affected by this major scourge serves to illustrate the complexities involved, and to highlight the many diverse obstacles to effective remedial policies. -- Laurence Whitehead, Oxford University
Latin Americas unprecedented generalization of electoral democracy, along with sustained economic growth and poverty reduction, generated expectations that a new era was at hand. Sadly, however, many countries have experienced equally unprecedented increases in criminality. Kassab and Rosen, prolific Latin American specialists on security matters, have produced a serious, well documented study of this scourge. Country chapters by experts focus on criminal gangs, drug traffickers, political violences legacy, and weak institutions. A must read for the latest data and insights on criminal violences corrosive effects on so many Latin American nations. -- David Scott Palmer, Boston University
Violence in the Americas is a must-read for those interested in understanding one of the most pressing issues affecting this continent. The contributors to this volume demonstrate with key case studies the very complex nature of violence in a very unequal region. Kassab and Rosen selected the right works to provide a comprehensive overview of the trends, nature and main causes of violence, policies to fight this problem, and challenges met by different governments that share a variety of conditions, but also diverge in many other aspects. -- Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, George Mason University

Author Bio

Hanna S. Kassab is visiting assistant professor at Northern Michigan University. Jonathan D. Rosen is assistant professor of criminal justice at Holy Family University.