Canning Paper | Understanding security in Latin America

Understanding security in Latin America: Canning Papers

07th Jul 2014

‘Latin America is the most violent region of the world.’ This has been a fre- quent headline, both in the region and beyond, since April, when the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (Unodc) released its most recent (2013) Global Study on Homicide. It was not actually news but it did dovetail with the widespread use of homicide rates as the yardstick of insecurity in Latin America — even though there is no automatic correlation between those rates and the public perception of insecurity. It is not the only case of wide- spread reliance on assumptions that hinder a useful understanding of the issue. This paper does not pretend to offer the ‘correct’ formula, but to iden- tify and help avoid the pitfalls.

Understanding security in Latin America Contents

Unodc’s Global Study on Homicide 2013 explains its focus on intentional homi- cide on its belief that it ‘as the most readily measurable, clearly defined and most comparable indicator for measuring violent deaths around the world [it] is, in certain circumstances, both a reasonable proxy for violent crime as well as a robust indicator of levels of security within states [our emphasis].’

More recent canning papers

Responsible Mining in the Lithium Triangle

Canning Paper

In the latest Canning Paper, Canning House examines responsible mining practices in the Lithium Triangle, and their effects on opportunities and challenges for businesses in the sector.

What future for Mercosur?

Canning Paper

In its latest Canning Paper, Canning House explores the Mercosur trade bloc, considering what its future holds as its members' priorities shift, overlap and diverge.

Becoming a member at Canning House

By joining as an individual member you’ll have the opportunity to access our wide range of public events at a discounted rate, as well as additional benefits such as online access to in-depth reports, webinar recordings and This Week in Latin America news articles.

Find out more about our membership plans