The limits of peace in Latin America

Abstract

Latin American governments frequently emphasise the democratic and peaceful order in the region. These claims are based on two developments: First, except for Cuba, the region has experienced processes of democratisation since the early 1980s. Second, since the 1990s, a series of long-lasting civil wars have ended with negotiated settlements and without a relapse into war. Based on such a superficial analysis, Latin America can be perceived as a successful example of the liberal peacebuilding model. However, although Latin America has democratised and ended wars, it is still the most violent region in the world. This article argues that democratisation and peacebuilding focussed rather on formal changes than on dealing with the structural problems reproducing different manifestations of violence. A focus on the interaction between both processes provides evidence for the possibilities as well as the limitations of change.

Violent Conflicts in South America

“…While the concept of peacebuilding can be regarded as out of context when the main concern is criminal violence, the statistics show a violence toll higher or equivalent to that of war zones. This leads to demands for the use of peace studies concepts in the study of violences like crime and endemic homicides (Banfield 2014;Kurtenbach 2019). In this context, thorough interpretative analysis and ethnographies of violences are key to providing responses for a comprehensive peacebuilding for more than 400 million South Americans.…”

“…Currently the sub-continent is seen by some analysts and international organizations as a peaceful region, especially in terms of the low number of inter-state conflicts in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries (Kacowicz 1998;Holsti 1996;UNGA 2003; see also Kurtenbach 2019). While the region experienced cases of tensions, such as between Colombia and Ecuador in 2008, the Peru-Chile maritime dispute, and the Beagle Channel dispute between Chile and Argentina in 1978, there have only been three conflicts or military disputes between countries in the region since the 1930s: the Chaco War between Paraguay andBolivia (1932-1935), the war between Peru and Ecuador (1941, with short conflicts also in 1981 and 1995), and the Falklands War (1982).…”

“…While the region experienced cases of tensions, such as between Colombia and Ecuador in 2008, the Peru-Chile maritime dispute, and the Beagle Channel dispute between Chile and Argentina in 1978, there have only been three conflicts or military disputes between countries in the region since the 1930s: the Chaco War between Paraguay andBolivia (1932-1935), the war between Peru and Ecuador (1941, with short conflicts also in 1981 and 1995), and the Falklands War (1982). In the latter, there was a conflict of a South American country with an external actor, Great Britain (Kurtenbach 2019). This context creates a perception that the region is a zone of peace.…”

Introduction – Peacebuilding Amidst Violence

“…Cases in Latin America come to mind: While many countries have seen a formal process of democratization during the last decades, they constitute some of the most violent places on earth (Kurtenbach 2019;Perea 2019). While many societies are not 'in' or 'at' war according to the standardized definitions intelligible in peacebuilding practices, peace remains elusive (cf.…”

Militarización, emergencia del militarismo civil y erosión democrática en América Latina

“…A pesar de su importancia desde una perspectiva analítica y política, la dimensión internacional de los distintos tipos de gobernabilidad excede el propósito de este trabajo, y refiere a los debates sobre la evolución del regionalismo latinoamericano en el ámbito de la seguridad regional y global. Para discusiones recientes, véase: Mares yKurtenbach, 2019, y Robledo, 2021a …”