Gangs and Coups D' Streets in the New World Disorder: Protean Insurgents in Post-modern War

Mano Dura: El Salvador responds to gangs

“…8 There has been a recent move towards linking these gangs to international crime networks, drug trafficking, and even global terrorism (Manwaring 2006;Sullivan 2006). The transnationalisation of these gangs has been identified as a growing threat to public security in the region, although recent studies have suggested that the international links are overestimated (Aguilar and Miranda 2006).…”

The Challenge of Community-Based Armed Groups: Towards a Conceptualization of Militias, Gangs, and Vigilantes

“…A number of authors based at American military academies argue that gangs do ultimately aim to take control of the state through an 'evolutionary coup d' street [sic] process', in which they 'take control of turf one street or neighborhood at a time'. 150 From this point of view, 'political-agitator gangs' wage a new type of asymmetrical warfare coined 'urban insurgencies' or 'criminal insurgencies'. 151 Following this logic, Jamaican gangs are directly compared to the Lebanese Hezbollah, as 'the ultimate objective of both organizations is to compel radical political change to achieve some form of effective political control'.…”

Evil doers from the 'hood or disenfranchised citizens? A critical analysis of the media representation of the MS-13 gang

“…street" "are international criminal organizations whose criminal activities in the Americas have damaging effects on national security by increasing domestic crime levels and facilitating drug trafficking" (USAID, 2006, p. 7). Similarly, from a traditional criminology perspective, Manwaring (2006) suggests that the MS-13 gang generates instability and state insecurity and in turn, should be viewed as a larger national security issue. Despite identifying the perpetuated conditions of structural inequality and violence in Central America, including circumstances of radicalized poverty, high levels of youth unemployment, minimal access to basic social, educational, and other public services, ineffective and corrupt justice systems, and easy access to weapons, Manwaring (2006) maintains his position that the focal point of analysis should be individual gang members, who are responsible for such violent and criminal acts.…”

“…Similarly, from a traditional criminology perspective, Manwaring (2006) suggests that the MS-13 gang generates instability and state insecurity and in turn, should be viewed as a larger national security issue. Despite identifying the perpetuated conditions of structural inequality and violence in Central America, including circumstances of radicalized poverty, high levels of youth unemployment, minimal access to basic social, educational, and other public services, ineffective and corrupt justice systems, and easy access to weapons, Manwaring (2006) maintains his position that the focal point of analysis should be individual gang members, who are responsible for such violent and criminal acts. A UNICEF ( 2002) report revealed that since 2002, 83 million Latin American children are living in poverty, which represents 59 percent of that age group; the rate of poverty for adults between twenty to thirty-four was 44 percent.…”