ABOUT

The Inter-American Dialogue is carrying out a three-year initiative to develop a joint program of work with leading think tanks and research centers in Mexico and Central America on two of the most pressing policy challenges their countries now face: 1) the growing threat to governance, social and economic progress, and the rule of law posed by escalating crime and violence, and 2) the failure of the United States, Mexico, and the nations of Central America to effectively address the multiple political, social, and security problems that have emerged from continuing large, undocumented migration flows to the United States.

The project convenes leading analysts, scholars, and journalists from Mexico, Central America, and the United States working on the relevant issues to define a framework for a cooperative effort among institutions, achieve consensus on the themes and questions we propose to address, and identify subsequent activities we hope to take on. In the longer term, its goals are: 1) to prepare, publish, and distribute  policy documents  on the critical questions related to crime and violence and immigration issues, 2) to organize outreach and informational meetings in Washington, Mexico, and Central America to promote discussion and policy solutions among a range of key actors, and 3) to build a small network of institutions and individuals in Mexico and Central America that are knowledgeable and influential on these issues.

For more information, please contact Humberto Galvan at hgalvan@thedialogue.org or (202) 463-2572.

CENTRAL AMERICA SECURITY PORTAL

The Central America Security Web Portal serves as a clearinghouse of policy-oriented research, analysis, government documents, and other resources related to security in Central America. The tool aggregates existing and new information to provide US and regional scholars, practitioners, and public officials a searchable database to support research and policymaking in this field. The web portal includes interactive features that analyze developments and trends in regional security. It covers topics such as the drug trade, border security, arms and human trafficking, money laundering, gang violence, regional cooperation, and police, military, and judicial institutions and reforms. ENTER
 

INITIATIVE MEETINGS

WORKING PAPER SERIES

The United States and Central America’s Northern Tier: The Ongoing Disconnect, by Héctor Silva Avalos, Inter-American Dialogue Working Paper, February 2014.

Migration & Development in Central America: Perceptions, Policies, and Further Opportunities/Migración y Desarrollo en América Central: Percepciones, Políticas y Nuevas Oportunidades, by Manuel Orozco and Julia Yansura, Inter-American Dialogue Working Paper, November 2013.

Political Reform in Central America: Are Democratic Institutions at Risk?, by Arturo Cruz-Sequiera, Inter-American Dialogue Working Paper, July 2013.

Organized Crime and Insecurity in Belize, by Julie Lopez, Inter-American Dialogue Working Paper, January 2013.

Security in Nicaragua: Central America's Exception?/Seguridad en Nicaragua: ¿la excepción en Centroamérica?, by Roberto Cajina, Inter-American Dialogue Working Paper, December 2012.

Countering Criminal Violence in Central America, by Michael Shifter, Council on Foreign Relations Special Report, April 2012.