Security Challenges in Latin America: Analysis of the Main Unconventional Armed Conflicts in the Region

John Griffiths, International Studies at Complutense University

Although Latin America is often regarded as a zone of peace on a global scale, it is striking that it has double the global average in crime rates. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to analyze the main unconventional armed conflicts in Latin America—drug trafficking and criminal organizations—and their impact on national and regional security and defense. Additionally, it is important to clarify how these unconventional conflicts are exacerbated by two complementary aspects: the influence of the proliferation of small arms trafficking and the revolution in information technologies, which are currently developing worldwide. It is essential, not only from a theoretical perspective but fundamentally from a practical one, to differentiate between the realms of security and defense, defining their interrelation in order to visualize effective policies to address these threats and avoid the militarization of such conflicts.