Key Issues Confronting Latin America Fabiana Sofia Perera, PhD William J Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies fabiana.s.perera.civ@ndu.edu

Which do you think is the top issue for Latin American countries? Economic situation Migration Relationship with the US Organized crime

What is the most important problem your country is facing? Low salaries Terrorism/Guerrilla Education problems Unemployment Violations of Human Rights Health problems Corruption Crime/citizen security Drug use Border issue Gas/fuel Energy supply problems The economy/ economic problems Global warming Food supply Source: Latinobarometer (2017)

What is the most important problem your country is facing? Inflation Low salaries Health issues Education problems Unemployment Housing problems Corruption Terrorism Crime Opportunities for youth Poverty The environment Drugs Something else DK/NA Source: Latinobarometer (1995)

Extra-Hemispheric Actors From our perspective: Governance Cyber security Migration Influence of extra-hemispheric actors Transnational organized crime and counternarcotics Context Governance Cyber Security Extra-Hemispheric Actors CTOC/CN Closing

Extra-Hemispheric Actors Governance Democratic decline Defense governance Democratic decline Defense governance Two in three countries are democratic Source: Freedom House (2019) Context Governance Cyber Security Extra-Hemispheric Actors CTOC/CN Closing

Extra-Hemispheric Actors Venezuela Democratic decline in Venezuela Biggest problem of democratic decline Source: Polity project Context Governance Cyber Security Extra-Hemispheric Actors CTOC/CN Closing

Extra-Hemispheric Actors Venezuela Two in three countries are democratic Charles Shapiro 2002-2004 William Brownfield 2004-2007 Patrick Duddy 2007- Aug. 2010 Larry Palmer Nom. 2010 Jeremy “Jimmy” Story July 2018-March 2019 Context Governance Cyber Security Extra-Hemispheric Actors CTOC/CN Closing

Extra-Hemispheric Actors Governance Democratic decline Defense governance Context Governance Cyber Security Extra-Hemispheric Actors CTOC/CN Closing

Extra-Hemispheric Actors Cyber Security There are few coordinated defense mechanisms. Many Latin American countries are beginning to develop Cyber Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) and Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs) to handle attacks, but few countries have been found to have an intermediate level of preparedness. Public awareness is lacking. Many Latin American countries have not yet publicized the dangers of the Internet. Private industries also frequently believe that they are not targets, so they have not made preventative programs a high priority (Lemieux). Several countries have recently adopted national strategies on cyber security to improve public awareness though, and several others are making progress. There is a disconnect between public and private industries. According to leading cyber security experts, stakeholders have yet to develop enough trust to collaborate, and most Latin American countries are missing reputable clearinghouses or brokers of authoritative information to allow the establishment of formal information-sharing mechanisms. Businesses also often fear that reporting cyber attacks to the government will lead to penalties of a loss of consumer confidence (Contreras). Source: McAffee (2017) Context Governance Cyber Security Extra-Hemispheric Actors CTOC/CN Closing

Extra-Hemispheric Actors Russian arms sales to Venezuela Chinese arms sales to Venezuela Source: Polga-Hecimovitch, John y Fabiana Perera (2020) Context Governance Cyber Security Extra-Hemispheric Actors CTOC/CN Closing

Extra-Hemispheric Actors CTOC/CN Major drug trafficking routes in the Western Hemisphere Overdoes Death Rates Involving Opioids, by Type, United States, 2000-16 Source: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Source: CDC/NICH, National Vital Statistics System, Mortality. CDC Wonder, Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, Context Governance Cyber Security Extra-Hemispheric Actors CTOC/CN Closing

Extra-Hemispheric Actors CTOC/CN Nicolas Maduro (Venezuela) and Hassan Rouhani (Iran) (2019) Assad Ahmad Barakat (Hezbollah) arrested in Brazil (2018) U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed in a recent interview that the Trump administration believes that the “Party of God,” as Hezbollah is known, maintains “active cells” in Venezuela. He went on to say that “Iranians are impacting the people of Venezuela,” because Hezbollah is trained, financed, and equipped by Tehran. In 2004, U.S. authorities designated Assad Ahmad Barakat as one of Hezbollah’s “most prominent and influential members.” They said he had long served as a treasurer for the group and was an associate of the then-financial director of Hezbollah, a militant group based in Lebanon. Context Governance Cyber Security Extra-Hemispheric Actors CTOC/CN Closing

Extra-Hemispheric Actors Closing Latin America as a region of peace Latin America as a strong US partner Context Governance Cyber Security Extra-Hemispheric Actors CTOC/CN Closing