REUTERS/Ulises Rodriguez - A policeman places handcuffs on a Mara Salvatrucha (MS13) gang member, who was detained during a night raid, after being presented to the media in Soyapango, on the outskirts of El Salvador June 21, 2012
Report
The Besieged Polis: Citizen Insecurity in Latin America
July 8, 2013, Kevin Casas-Zamora
Latin America remains a region plagued by high levels of violent crime and widespread perceptions of insecurity, threats that jeopardize democratic stability and state viability. In a new Brookings monograph, The Besieged Polis: Citizen Insecurity and Democracy in Latin America, former senior fellow and current OAS Secretary for Political Affairs Kevin Casas-Zamora examines the nexus of citizen insecurity and democracy. He argues that democratic consolidation in Latin America requires a sustained and multi-pronged effort to reduce crime rates.