1. Key Issues Confronting Latin America
Fabiana Sofia Perera, PhD
William J Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies

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

3. 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)

4. 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)

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. Extra-Hemispheric Actors
Venezuela
Two in three countries are democratic
Charles Shapiro
William Brownfield
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

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

10. 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

11. 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

12. Extra-Hemispheric Actors
CTOC/CN
Major drug trafficking routes in
the Western Hemisphere
Overdoes Death Rates Involving Opioids, by Type, United States,
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

13. 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

14. 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