Policing the Amazon: Why the Rule of Law is Crucial for the Future

by Vicente Riccio (Editor), Guilherme Lopes da Cunha (Editor)

Overview

This edited collection discusses the rule of law in the Amazon and the capabilities of the region’s sovereign states to police their territory considering security matters. Comprised of nine countries, including a European Union member, the Amazon region features states facing political instability, poverty, social inequalities, high levels of corruption, and lack of trust by their populations. This context is aggravated by the presence of criminal organizations operating there and shaping transnational bonds. Notably, the world’s foremost cocaine-producing countries—Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia—are located in the region, presenting related turmoil and instability. Moreover, as home to the largest rainforest on Earth and the widest biodiversity, the region is an object of concern due to environmental reasons. The protection of these natural resources as well as the traditional peoples living there is intertwined with issues of development, security, and policing.

The book delves into questions on the international agenda, such as: how is it possible to sustain the rule of law in the Amazon? What are the states’ capabilities for controlling the territory and enforcing the law? How do these states deal with the growing urban violence in the region? What are the capabilities of public authorities for proposing laws and policies, and judicial systems to process, prevent, and suppress different crimes such as drug dealing, smuggling, human trafficking, terrorism, and environmental crimes?

The book fills a gap in English-language scholarship exploring the context of the rule of law in the Amazon and the impact on policing activities. It is ideal for a wide range of audiences, including policing scholars, law enforcement and community leaders, and students focusing on criminal justice and the Amazon.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032361932
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	11/18/2024
Series:	Advances in Police Theory and Practice
Pages:	260
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Vicente Riccio holds a doctorate in Sociology from Instituto Universitário de Pesquisas do Rio de Janeiro and was the coordinator of the graduate program of Law and Innovation at Federal University of Juiz de Fora (2017–2023), Brazil. He also has worked as a consultant for many public institutions in Brazil, such as the Ministry of Justice, Public Security Secretary of Rio de Janeiro, and Civil Police of Amazonas. His research interests are police reform, legal systems in developing democracies, media, justice, and video evidence. He has organized Police and Society in Brazil (Routledge) book, coedited with Wesley Skogan (Northwestern University). He has also published articles and book chapters in international and Brazilian publications.

Guilherme Lopes da Cunha holds a Postdoctoral in International Relations at the University of Brasília (UnB), PhD, and MA in International Political Economy at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). He is a Professor at the Brazilian War College (ESG), and the Brazilian Defense College (ESD), at the Ministry of Defense of Brazil. He has organized Brazil in the Geopolitics of Amazonia and Antarctica (Lexington Books), coedited with Fábio Albergaria de Queiroz (Brazilian Defense College), and Ana Flávia Barros-Platiau (University of Brasilia).

Table of Contents

Introduction: Why the Rule of Law?

Vicente Riccio and Guilherme Lopes da Cunha

Part I: Crime, Violence, and the Rule of Law in the Amazon

1 – Rule of Law and Environmental Crimes in the Southern Amazonas

Vicente Riccio, Giuseppe Giura, Deborah De Felice, Dorlí João Marques, and Antonio Gelson de Oliveira Nascimento

2 – The State, Indigenous Communities, and Illicit Economic Activities in the Peruvian Amazon

Oscar Espinosa

3 – Devastating Devastation: Impact of Crime in the Colombian Amazon

Juan Carlos Ruiz-Vásquez and Rubén Sánchez David

4 – The Use of Intelligence for Mapping the Activities of Criminal Organizations in the Amazon

Rodrigo Costa Yehia Castro, Giuseppe Giura, Fabio Licata, Sandro Sarkis, and Vicente Riccio

5 – Ecuador’s Presence in the Amazon: Security, Weak Institutions, Questioned Capabilities, and Strategic Opportunities

Katalina Barreiro Santana and Diego Pérez Enríquez

6 – Strategic Resources, Border Economies, Transnational Dynamics, and Threats in the Amazon: The Case of Lago Agrio in Ecuador

Milton Reyes Herrera and Patricio Trujillo Montalvo

7 – Policing Indigenous Lands Impacted by Hydroelectrical Dams in the Brazilian State of Rondônia

Rafael Ademir Oliveira de Andrade, Artur de Souza Moret, and Jean Carlo Silva dos Santos

8 – A Polycentric Governance Model Through the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization: Capabilities for Tackling Transnational Threats

Carlos Alfredo Lazary Teixeira, Guilherme Lopes da Cunha, and Fábio Albergaria de Queiroz

Part II – Policing Challenges in the Amazon

9 – Being a Policewoman in the Amazon: Motivations and Everyday Routines

Ludmila Ribeiro and Alexandre M.A. Martins

10 – Procedural Justice Perceptions and Use of Force at the Civil Police of Amazonas

Eduardo Magrone, Vicente Riccio, Wagner Silveira Rezende, and Mario Aufiero

11 – Pressure on the Brazilian Amazon Border and State Discretion in Granting Asylum to Venezuelans

Janaína de Mendonça Fernandes

Part III – Law and the Environmental Protection in the Amazon

12 – Intellectual Property Rights Legislation as a Source of Inequality: A Case Study Based on Natural Genetic Resources From the Amazon Region

Marcos Vinício Chein Feres

13 – The Environmental Protection in French Guiana: Normative Scheme and Stakes

Frédéric Bondil, Carole Hassoun, Mathilde Kamal-Girard, and Jean-Philippe Vauthier

14 – Logospiracy in the Legal Amazon

Raimundo Pontes Filho

15 – The Brazilian Amazon Between Geopolitics and Law

Guilherme Sandoval Góes and Antonio dos Santos