DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY OF THE PROGRAM:

This program departs from a Latin American perspective seeking to provide regional visions on two subjects of significant hemispheric importance: US-Latin American relations and the production, illegal trade, transfer, possession and use of small arms and light weapons in the Americas . While academic, this program is clearly oriented towards generating policy impact through the active involvement of decision makers both in the United States and Latin America .

This program is implemented through two specific projects: “Small Arms and Light Weapons: a Threat to Hemispheric Security,” and “ Latin America and the Second Bush Administration: Preventive Actions in Sensitive Areas.”

The re-election of President George W. Bush in November, 2004 defines a new scenario for hemispheric relations. For the United States, this could mean the deepening of a trend of strategic disengagement from the complex Latin American and Caribbean agenda, and furthermore it being considered by Washington to be relevant only in two issues: security and free trade. For Latin America and the Caribbean , neglect could bring about old grievances which could easily become sources of new regional crises at a time when dialogue and cooperation –not unilateral impositions and the use of force- should be the common denominator between the hegemonic power and its neighbors.

Within this context, it is imperative that the Latin American and Caribbean countries, their governments and civil society organizations, are capable of better defining their strategies and actions to influence decision-makers in Washington . This is to be done with the purpose of responding creatively to the challenges that the continuation of current U.S. policies could bring about upon Latin America . It is also urgent to build, within the academic realm, a space where scholars with different visions could converge, and produce serious and intense exchanges between and among interested parties from civil society, governments, and academics from Latin America and the United States . This dialogue should eventually become a platform from which joint actions should be undertaken in areas likely to become sources for U.S. unilateralism, namely public security, free trade and migrations. This will be undertaken in the perspective of cooperation, control and prevention of the use of force in this hemisphere.

The dissemination of the different visions prevailing in the Americas , and the possibility to discuss and debate them in an academic environment will have a positive impact in the on-going dialogue between the United States , Latin America and the Caribbean . It will reveal differences of scope and opinion, but also large areas of consensus likely to become pivots for further action on the matter.

In this context of old and new challenging situations, one of the most salient issues in hemispheric relations is that of small arms and light weapons. Small weapon production, sale, illegal transfer and possession are central concerns of many countries in the Hemisphere. It is also a matter of concern for most of the region the impact that small arms and light weapons may have in urban and domestic violence; in addition to the preoccupation posed to U.S. authorities, particularly due to the many linkages between small arms and weapons and organized crime, including narcotraffic and (potentially) terrorism.

This program seeks to fill the information gap on the subject by providing a wide inventory of regional and sub regional initiatives, both governmental and non-governmental, on small arms and weapons regulation and control. It is also aimed at exchanging information on good and innovative practices adopted in different areas of the Americas to curve small arms and weapons-related violence and illegal trade by governments, non-governmental organizations and legitimate small weapon producing enterprises. This is done with the hope to contribute to an ongoing effort to curve such violence, but furthermore, to break with a cultural pattern of gun possession with personal defense purposes. The program also seeks to achieve two additional objectives: to further techniques of gun control, and to develop prevention measures aimed at reducing gun-related violence among civilian actors.

The implementation of this program will be the responsibility of the General Secretariat of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO), one of Latin America ' s foremost academic networks with over 10 national centers throughout the region. Specialized in research and teaching at the graduate level, FLACSO is not only a legitimate interlocutor, but also a facilitator of joint dialogue and action between the different social and political actors of this Hemisphere and beyond.

This Latin America-USA program, other than producing new knowledge, will strengthen and further public awareness of its different products: books, policy memoranda, briefings among them. The wide dissemination of these products will be possible through an active web page, regional and sub regional workshops and high-level expert meetings, and select publications, all of which will be particularly focused towards decision-makers in Latin America and the United States .