Security in the Americas

Our Hemispheric Neighborhood 

A Symposium hosted by

 The Organization of American States

The World Affairs Council of Washington, DC

The Center for Latin American Issues

Synopsis

The end of the Cold War marked the beginning of a new era in security concerns for the nations of the Americas.  For decades, the bipolar international environment of the Cold War had heavily influenced United States policy in Latin America.  Threats of a political and military nature dominated the hemisphere’s security discussions.  Panel Moderator Anthony de Palma, of the New York Times, categorized these concerns as “traditional threats.”  After the Cold War, more space became available to focus on “new threats,” such as poverty, corruption, illicit trafficking of drugs and arms, health issues, and environmental degradation.  The nations of the Americas were poised to increase their attention to these “new threats.”  A new era of hemispheric cooperation seemed to be on the horizon.  After the terrorist attacks of September 11, however, the United States shifted its focus away from Latin America and towards the fight against terrorism.  The panelists discussed how hemispheric security concerns have evolved and how the OAS and the nations of the hemisphere should deal with the new security environment. 

Ambassador Miguel Ruiz-Cabañas, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the OAS and Chair of the OAS Committee on Hemispheric Security, discussed the role of the OAS in managing hemispheric security.  The OAS will hold a Special Conference on Hemispheric Security in Mexico City in late October, 2003.  Ambassador Ruiz-Cabañas discussed the preparations for the Special Conference and the history of hemispheric security cooperation.  The Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (commonly known as the Rio Treaty), drafted in Rio de Janeiro in 1947, was the first OAS document that addressed cooperation on hemispheric security.  Ambassador Ruiz-Cabañas called the document obsolete and emphasized the need for a new approach.  He pointed out that President Vicente Fox visited Washington just days before the September 11 attacks and had stressed the need to revitalize security cooperation in the hemisphere.  The Ambassador identified several “new threats” that Mexico is especially concerned about.  These threats include money laundering, border controls, terrorism, drug trafficking, natural disasters, health, and poverty.  He was optimistic that the upcoming conference in Mexico City would address these isuues more effectively.

Professor Joseph Tulchin, of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, continued the discussion of the history of hemispheric cooperation on security.  He said that during the Cold War, the OAS engaged mostly in rhetoric on security issues and that the United States used the OAS as an instrument of U.S. foreign policy.  He also called the Rio Treaty obsolete, but disagreed with President Fox’s assessment of why it is obsolete.  The treaty, he argued, is “a creature of the Cold War” that reinforced U.S. hegemony over the hemisphere.  According to Prof. Tulchin, the new security environment should allow more autonomy for OAS member states.  He raised a concern that the shift in U.S. policy since September 11 could challenge Latin American countries to find space in the discussion.  He said it is important that the region not regress to a Cold War-style atmosphere in which the United States promulgates policy that Latin America can either accept or reject.  Prof. Tulchin recognized a few issues facing many OAS member states that require Inter-American cooperation.  These issues include money laundering, police and judicial reform, terrorism, and the environment.  He cited recent progress on narcotics control cooperation as evidence that OAS member states can benefit from cooperation.

Dr. Ivelaw Griffith, of Florida International University, focused on the problem of illicit arms traffic in the Caribbean.  His presentation addressed the reasons why such trafficking is a problem and the consequences of that traffic.  Weapons, he said, come to the Caribbean mostly from the United States. (no Caribbean nation except the Dominican Republic produces firearms).  Some of the illicitly-imported weapons are used in the Caribbean while others are shipped to other destinations.  Dr. Griffith explained that the region is particularly vulnerable because of its physical geography, limited law enforcement capability, corruption, and the liberalization of international trade.  The consequences of the traffic are not restricted to the presence of the weapons themselves; the weapons facilitate other problems.  These include drug-related crime, political violence, and economic issues (governments need to allocate so much money to law enforcement that it takes away from social programs and other efforts).  Dr. Griffith expressed his disappointment that only one-third of Caribbean nations have ratified the 1997 Inter-American Convention Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms.  He concluded by emphasizing the need for greater hemispheric cooperation on the issue, given its international scope and the limited capacity of many Caribbean states to address the problem on their own.

Dr. Paul Gully, Executive Director General of Health Canada, discussed the relationship between health and security and the social and economic effects of infectious disease outbreaks.  His discussion was particularly timely because it came on the same day that Canada announced that it had diagnosed a Canadian cow with bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease.  Dr. Gully recognized infectious disease as a “non-violent security threat.”  Not only do infectious diseases kill, they also cost billions of dollars and give people a sense of fear and panic.  Dr. Gully provided statistical information to illustrate how the recent SARS outbreaks in Asia and Canada have cost billions of dollars in lost commerce and tourism.  He stressed the need for strong, responsive health infrastructure in all countries and more international cooperation.  He praised the efforts of the World Health Organization on the SARS outbreak and was optimistic about the chances of further international cooperation.