All Content: military relations

"Consolidation," Land Restitution, and Rising Tensions in Montes de María, Colombia

Trip report from a November research visit to a major destination of U.S. aid
30 Jan 2012
Analysis & Commentary
We found a zone where, following several years of relative peace, tensions are rising. The national government is gearing up to launch an ambitious land-restitution program. Consolidation, meanwhile, gives a big role to the military while assisting small farmers, including returning displaced populations, and improving local government.

Appointment of Former General as Head of El Salvador's Police Violates the Spirit of the Peace Accords

Does this represent a change in focus for the country's security policy?
27 Jan 2012
News
For the second time during Funes' administration, a retired military officer has been put in charge of one of the country’s public security institutions.

WOLA: Promoting Human Rights, Democracy, and Social Justice

22 Dec 2011
Video
As the year winds to a close, we hope you will enjoy this video about how WOLA works with partners in the region to advance human rights in Latin America. If you have not done so, we hope you will consider making a donation to WOLA to support our continued efforts. Your support makes a difference.

A human rights counteroffensive in Colombia

Making it harder to try military human rights abuses, keeping human rights groups on the defensive
1 Dec 2011
Analysis & Commentary
The Colombian government is taking actions that fly in the face of many years of reforms, jurisprudence and international recommendations

WOLA expresses concern about naming of new Justice and Public Security Minister in El Salvador

22 Nov 2011
News
The decision to name a military professional to lead citizen security in El Salvador goes against the spirit of the Peace Accords, which established a clear separation between police and military roles.

A Cautionary Tale: Plan Colombia's Lessons for U.S. Policy Toward Mexico and Beyond

10 Nov 2011
Publication
Whenever people discuss solutions to Mexico’s out-of-control violence, someone will inevitably bring up Colombia as a “model.” The report concludes that the ‘success’ of the past several years in Colombia is only a partial, and fragile, victory at best—and it has come at an unacceptably high human and institutional cost.

New Report on Mistakes of Plan Colombia and Lessons for Latin America

A Cautionary Tale: Plan Colombia's Lessons for Mexico and Beyond
10 Nov 2011
News
Today the Latin America Working Group Education Fund (LAWGEF), the Center for International Policy (CIP), and WOLA release A Cautionary Tale: Plan Colombia's Lessons for Mexico and Beyond, a new report that dissects the Colombian experience of the past ten years

Guatemalan Soldiers Sentenced to 6,060 Years for 1982 Massacre

A Step toward Justice
4 Aug 2011
Analysis & Commentary
On August 2, a Guatemalan court sentenced four former members of the Guatemalan Special Forces known as the Kaibiles to over 6,000 years in prison for the December 1982 massacre of 200 people in the village of Dos Erres.

Mexico’s Supreme Court Decides to End Military Jurisdiction for Soldiers Who Commit Human Rights Violations

13 Jul 2011
Analysis & Commentary
Yesterday, Mexico’s Supreme Court issued a historic ruling establishing that members of the military accused of human rights violations should be tried in civilian courts.

WOLA/IDB Mapping Study of International Cooperation for Citizen Security in Central America

8 Jul 2011
Publication
Looking at the region from 2009 to June 2011, the study identifies 423 projects being implemented and 30 additional projects still in the design phase.

Trends in Latin American military spending

A conversation with SIPRI's Carina Solmirano
10 Jun 2011
Publication
South America's military budgets rose 5.8% in 2010, faster than any other region, says the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's latest yearbook. Adam and WOLA Fellow Lucila Santos talk with Carina Solmirano of SIPRI about her findings.

In La Macarena, Colombia, a program on “autopilot”

"First take" report on a visit to Vistahermosa and San Juan de Arama, Meta, Colombia
10 Jun 2011
Analysis & Commentary
WOLA staff and colleagues from 3 U.S. and Colombian organizations visited a historically guerrilla-controlled zone that has seen a quarter-billion dollars in military and economic investment, much from U.S. aid programs, since 2007.

The OAS talks citizen security

Adriana Beltrán and Victoria Wigodsky in San Salvador
7 Jun 2011
Publication
The OAS General Assembly is meeting right now in El Salvador, and this year's theme is citizen security. WOLA's senior associate for citizen security, Adriana Beltrán, is there. Adam talks to Adriana and Victoria Wigodzky of the Argentina-based Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS).

Security in Mexico

A conversation with Raúl Benítez Manaut of CASEDE
22 Apr 2011
Publication
Adam talks with Raúl Benítez, who heads Mexico's Colectivo de Análisis de Seguridad con Democracia (CASEDE) think-tank, about the state of U.S.-Mexican security cooperation and the Mexican armed forces' role in public security.

WOLA Urges Punishment for Those Responsible for the Massacres in Northern Mexico

Punishment is the only way to end the climate of impunity
18 Apr 2011
News
In recent weeks, the violence in northern Mexico has reached an alarming level, including the shocking discovery of hidden graves containing around 145 bodies.

The week: Elections in Haiti, Colombia's luxury military prison, Mexico's army and public security

5 Apr 2011
Publication
Adam looks at the preliminary result of Haiti's election, revelations of plush conditions for Colombian military human rights abusers, and a UN human rights body's recommendation that Mexico take the armed forces out of internal security.

The week: Elections in Peru and elsewhere, Mexico border, and more

30 Mar 2011
Publication
Adam looks at Peru's upcoming, and up-for-grabs elections; Washington's discussion of the Homeland Security and Pentagon role in Mexico border security; political violence in Colombia; and more.

Valentina Rosendo Cantu's Nine Year Struggle for Justice in Mexico

22 Mar 2011
Video
In this video, Valentina bravely tells her story of her fight to achieve justice after being raped and abused by members of the Mexican military.

Stronger than the Iron Fist: Funes Administration Attempts a Different Approach to Crime and Violence in El Salvador

Analysis by Adriana Beltran, Senior Associate for Citizen Security
18 Mar 2011
Analysis & Commentary
Moving away from the harsh tactics of his predecessors, Funes is emphasizing more comprehensive, community-based approaches to tackling crime.

President Obama's Visit to Latin America

16 Mar 2011
Publication
President Barack Obama will be visiting Brazil, Chile, and El Salvador on March 19-23. In WOLA's inaugural podcast, Adam Isacson, Joy Olson, Vicki Gass, John Walsh and Adriana Beltrán talk about what to expect as the President visits a rapidly changing region. (MP3 file, 8.7MB, 18 minutes, 10 seconds)