Latin America has been considered the cradle of modern terrorism since the middle of the 1960s and although it didn't reach the levels of Middle Eastern terrorism it inspired ideologically and influenced operationally many radical leftist organizations around the world.

During the 1960s and 1970s, under the influence of Castro's Cuban revolution and the symbolic image of Che Guevara it threatened some democratic regimes and even the military dictatorial regimes in the region, provoking a bloody reaction which still impacts on the political life of countries like Argentina and Chile.

During the 1990s the guerrilla and terrorist organizations in Peru and Colombia took control of great parts of the territory of their countries and began a process of symbiosis with the narcotic barons and organized crime. The Peruvian Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) and Tupac Amaru were defeated after a long period of arduous fighting, but until lately the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) seemed to survive its long history of armed struggle and become a permanent local and regional threat.

However, the most murderous attacks in Latin America were staged in Buenos Aires against the Israeli embassy in 1992 and in 1994, against the Jewish AMIA community building, by an Iran-Hizballah terrorist "joint-venture," which for years implanted in the region a wide clandestine terrorist network.

On this historical background, the workshop panelists will analyze the present threat of terrorism in Latin America.


Back to Workshops | Conference Updates | Registration