States of Exception: Criminal Armed Groups and the Evolution of South American Policing

With just 8 percent of the world’s population, Latin America suffers more than 30 percent of global homicides.

At the heart of this crisis is a fierce competition for power, territory, and legitimacy between nation-states and decentralized, highly adaptable criminal armed groups (CAGs). Operating across illicit economic circuits, these organizations have evolved beyond high-intensity crime into a form of hybrid, gray-area warfare that directly challenges state sovereignty. States of Exception: Criminal Armed Groups and the Evolution of South American Policing offers a critical, multi-country analysis of how governments confront this endemic threat. Spanning the volatile spectrum between police reform and heavy-handed militarization, this volume examines the fragile balance of citizen security and governance. Through targeted case studies, the book exposes the structural vulnerabilities—corruption, lack of agency cohesion, and human rights concerns—that frequently undermine state interventions, from the militarized favela pacifications in Brazil to infrastructure protection in Chile.

Featuring contributions from leading international experts, this book charts the shifting landscapes of South American security, investigating:
● The Rise of Third-Generation Gangs and criminal governance networks.
● National Dilemmas spanning Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia, Uruguay, Argentina, and Ecuador.
● The Global Nexus, including the strategic alliances forged by Italian mafias like the 'Ndrangheta within Latin America’s criminal ecosystem.

Essential reading for policymakers, strategists, and scholars, this volume is an indispensable starting point for understanding deviant globalization and the profound consequences of getting the state response wrong.