Abstract

RODRIGUEZ, Daniel Darío. Military involvement in public security issues: an unfinished question that is reinstated in Latin America facing the transnational organized crime challenge. E&c [online]. 2019, vol.2, n.9, pp.133-153. ISSN 2477-9245.  https://doi.org/10.37228/estado_comunes.v2.n9.2019.121.

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In times in which a greater involvement of the Latin American armed forces in public security issues is being promoted with renewed emphasis, this study is intended to analyze the relevance or not of such military participation in the matter. The analysis addresses the Latin American context of the last quarter century, avoiding specific national mentions on the understanding that -except for specific state particularities- there are similar realities and structural conditions in the matter. First of all, the study reflects on the constitutive features of transnational organized crime, which constitutes the main cause in the justification of the promoted military participation outside its natural scope, that of national defense. The differences between organized crime, common crime, and terrorism are examined, phenomena that are also used as reasons for the Armed Forces to intervene in public security. The conclusion is that the participation of the Armed Forces in public security is not intrinsically adequate as a rule, since these forces are not designed or conceived to meet such a phenomenology. Beyond the scope of the study remains the assessment of the necessary transformation of the police and security forces, central issue to effectively deal with such an elusive and complex phenomenon as transnational organized crime.

Keywords : Transnational organized crime; common crime; terrorism; national defense; public security; Armed Forces; police forces..

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