Department of National Security Affairs - Department of National Security Affairs
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Global Connections Speaker Series presents DR David Pion-Berlin
Date: January 28, 2016 to January 28, 2016
Time: 1200 - 1330
Location: Glasgow Hall, Room 322
Latin American scholars often maintain that militaries should be kept out of internal security operations. Soldiers, they claim, are ill-suited for these assignments, inevitably placing innocent civilians in harms’ way. Instead I will argue that not all internal security missions are the same. When a specific operation coincides with a military’s capabilities and proclivities, it can be conducted effectively and humanely. When there is a disconnect between the operation and the institution, there is a greater chance for mission failure and civilian casualties. Those differences are revealed through an examination of the Mexican military’s crime patrols vs. its targeted operations against cartel kingpins. I will show that while there are justifiable doubts about transforming soldiers into cops, it is also the case that soldiers can conduct themselves professionally and with restraint when they are tasked with assignments that conform more closely to their skills sets.
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