SECURITY IN LATIN-AMERICA

This article provides an overview of recent trends in Latin American s ecurity and examines three common assumptions that underpin both acade mic analysis and policy debate-assumptions about the links between pol itical democracy, economic integration and regional stability, and abo ut the need to broaden the agenda of regional security. In contrast to the liberal orthodoxy, there is little reason to believe that the pro motion of political democracy and economic liberalization and integrat ion will automatically tend towards regional stability, especially giv en the weakness of regional institutions, the fragility of many states , the inequality of power among states, and the lack of consensus over the meaning and implications of the 'new security agenda'.