PhD Candidate, University of Glasgow
ON ORDER AND GOOD GOVERNMENT IN VIOLENT DEMOCRACIES: NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL POLICY APPROACHES TO CITIZEN SECURITY IN CENTRAL AMERICA
—EL SALVADOR & GUATEMALA—
Research project
My research examines the definitions of violence and insecurity in Central American national and international counter-crime strategies. Specifically, to what extent citizen security, as the citizenship rights aspect ascribed to human security concepts, figures in national and regional/international security policies. For El Salvador, this entails close examination of government Mano Dura (Hard Hand) policies against gangs or maras. In Guatemala’s case, the investigation addresses both national and UN-led counter-crime agendas. The study then ties these discussions together under an overarching Central American security policy analysis and looks at (1) the extent to which regional policies accommodate local concerns, and (2) how the insecurity of the individual is addressed at all policy levels.
Biography
My insecurity and violence-related research ranges from public policy to national and international law, the myriad influences on government decision-making, and how these cumulate to impact on individuals, communities, and international society. I specialise in post-conflict, reconstruction phase states and stabilising democracies. Central America is my primary geographic area of concentration with secondary interests in Canada and Southern Africa. After BAH and MA studies at Queen’s University (Canada) and the University of St Andrews (UK) in Geography, History and Theology, I took positions as Policy Analyst for the Government of Canada in Telecommunications and as Labour Migration Coordinator and Migration Policy Advisor for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in El Salvador. I currently consult on Central American politics and security issues for a specialist intelligence company. Frequent paper presentation topics include International and National Migration Policy, Central American Violence and Security, International Humanitarian Law (IHL), and Refugee Protections. I am the recipient of several scholarships including the Chancellor’s Scholarship (Queen’s), Bobby Jones Jr. Scholarship (St Andrews), and the Postgraduate University Scholarship (Glasgow).
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