US Southern Command Area of Responsibility

• Area of Responsibility• Religion• Economic Systems• Political Systems• US Interests

Overview

• Geography– 1/6th of the world’s surface– Land mass south of Mexico,

waters adjacent to Central and South America, the Caribbean Sea, portion of the Atlantic Ocean

– 31 countries and 15 areas of special sovereignty

Area of Responsibility

• Majority of population lives within 100 miles of the ocean

• Large cities grossly overpopulated

• Roman Catholicism dominant– Brought by colonialism and

forced conversion beginning in 1500s

– Dominant religion for 90% or more of population

– Number actively practicing and professing faith are often different

• Roman Catholicism mixed with indigenous or imported religions

Religion

• Dominant religions in non-Spanish colonies (British, French, Dutch) fall in line with historic colonial influence

• Evangelical Christianity surging throughout area in recent decades

• Hindu, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism on rise due to recent political and economic changes

Religion

• Long term problems due to end of colonialism• Foreign debt and worldwide recessions• Free trade agreements in later twentieth and early

twenty-first century have provided major stimulus to economies

• Strong economic ties between region and United States: 23% of petroleum imports into United States are from this region; exceeding imports from Persian Gulf

Economic Systems

• Poverty– 34% live in poverty; 13% in extreme poverty– High economic growth = increased demand for

exports = improvements in poverty around region

–Massive income disparity; one of most unequal regions in the world• Wealthiest 20% possesses 19 times the wealth of the

poorest 20%

Economic Systems

• Poverty– Contributing factors to high poverty rate include:

• Rural underdevelopment• Government failures/political instability• Widespread corruption• Lack of infrastructure• Ethnic discrimination

– Impoverished citizens are easy prey for illicit traffickers, terrorist organizations, and political demagogues

Economic Systems

• Crime– One of world’s most violent areas• Claims more than 100,000 lives/year• Murder one of 5 main causes of death in several

countries

– 15% of region’s combined annual GDP– Typically centers around drug trade• More than 530 metric tons of cocaine smuggled

annually into United States from South America• Central America becoming new hotbed for activity as

neighboring nations crack down

Economic Systems

• Crime– Criminal groups take over regions where

government control is absent– Criminals often collude with—or are actually

part of—local law enforcement– Illicit trafficking costs legitimate economies

more than $245 billion annually• $32 billion human trafficking• $10 billion illegal arms trafficking• $80 billion exotic wildlife trafficking

Economic Systems

• Crime– Colombia • Drug trafficking, extortion, and kidnapping are major

sources of funding for guerrilla groups and right-wing paramilitary• Efforts to dismantle major operations fractured

groups into smaller, autonomous organizations

– High crime rate comes from rapid urbanization w/out infrastructure, income inequality, culture of violence, lack of opportunity for youth, corruption

Economic Systems

• History of democracy across area since end of colonialism in nineteenth century

• Elections fair in most countries• However, citizens’ freedoms

restricted in many nations• Freedom in the World Survey of

Latin American countries:– 21 = free– 9 = partly free– 1 = not free

Political Systems

• Democracy is challenged by a number of issues:– Economics–Weak administrative capacity– Anti-democratic opposition– Drug trafficking– Guerrilla movements

• Problems are causing many to lose faith in democracy and support authoritarian rule

Political Systems

• Commerce and Trade– Fastest growing trade market for the US– Two-thirds of ships transiting Panama Canal are

going to or coming from US ports, 16% of US trade

– 17.8% of total US foreign investment worldwide– 10 of 19 US free trade agreements are with

Central and South American countries

US Interests

• Commerce and Trade– Total US foreign direct investment equals US

direct investment in Asia, Middle East, and Africa combined

– Commerce Department and WTO estimate 2011 trade exceed trade w/Europe and Japan

US Interests

• National Security– Conventional threats are low; non-traditional

challenges threaten region– Illicit trafficking, transnational terrorism, crime,

gangs, potential spread of WMD are principal security challenges

– Influence from Iran, China, and Russia

• Counterdrug and Narcoterrorism– 95.5% of cocaine entering United States

originates in Colombia

US Interests

• Counterdrug and Narcoterrorism– 60% of cocaine shipped from

South America in 2009 was headed to United States

– As drugs flow into United States, money, arms, and technology flow back to region

– Counterdrug operations include detection, monitoring, tracking, and interdiction of drug runners

US Interests

• Theater Security Cooperation– Asymmetic threats require shift in

security efforts– Coalitions and regional

partnerships provide underlying conditions for success

US Interests

• Area of Responsibility• Religion• Economic Systems• Political Systems• US Interests

Summary