(iPoster) The Rising of (Green) Militarization in Latin America

• In Event: Poster Session: Science, Technology, and Environmental Politics

Abstract

Recent scholarship proves the return of military actors in the Latin America and Caribbean democracies. This new trend is different from the militarization of the second half of the twentieth century because civilian governments are now inviting and appointing military actors in law enforcement agencies and other civic institutions, instead of having coup d’état where generals or military juntas act as de facto rulers. The implications of Latin America’s internal use of the armed forces for civil-military relations works against the development of civilian capacities. Moreover, this literature reveals a growing civil demand as well as public support for militarization of police in Latin America and the Caribbean, ranging from Mexico to El Salvador and Ecuador. While existing studies offer relevant insights to understand the new forms of militarization taking place in the region, this research agenda mostly focus on security and crime issues located in urban and municipal settings, neglecting novel forms of militarization. I argue that the region is experiencing a silent, but sophisticated type of militarization with environmental protection purposes. My research shows that green militarization or militarized conservation is increasingly used by Latin American governments to tackle environmental crimes (including deforestation, logging, illegal mining, cattle ranching, and coca crops). Since 2019, large military campaigns like Operación Artemisa in Colombia, Operación Mercurio in Peru, and Operação Verde Brasil are being deployed precisely in contested geographical areas with long-standing socio-environmental conflicts. Second, my research argues that the rise of green militarization constitutes the predilect state response to address extremely high levels of violence against environmental, indigenous, and land defenders, in a region that produces 82% of the global killings of defenders. Third, the new role of Latin American militaries in environmental issues reached unprecedented levels when generals replaced technicians in deforestation monitoring scientific institutions. My paper advances the scholarship on crime, security, and militarization by offering three contributions: 1) unpacking the concept of green militarization as a new security policy; 2) evaluating the different mechanism of militarized conservation from a comparative perspective; 3) challenging the public demand and support premise that have characterize these studies by showing hoq indigenous, afro-descendant, and campesino populations living in Amazon towns are opposed to this novel security policy.

Author

• Juan Corredor-Garcia, CUNY Graduate Center | Fordham University