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Fil: Gonzalez-Levaggi, Ariel. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. Centro de Estudios Internacionales; Argentina Fil: Gonzalez-Levaggi, Ariel. Investigaciones Estratégicas y Navales de la Armada Argentina; Argentina Fil: Ventura Barreiro, Vicente. Universidad del Salvador; Argentina L atin America is slowly becoming a venue for the United States’ strategic competition with Russia and China. Despite the regional illusions during the early 21st century, the Brazilian leadership of Latin America has disappeared, regional integration has lost its climax and external state actors have increasing geoeconomic interests throughout the Western Hemisphere from the Rio Grande to Antarctica. To complicate matters further, COVID-19 has impacted Latin America more deeply than other regions, thus expanding the range of health, economic, and security needs in the continent. China and Russia have appeared as alternative providers of medical equipment, humanitarian aid, and vaccines, thus trying to replace the traditional role of Western developed nations, especially the United States, on the continent. COVID-19 is aggravating the structural economic and social burdens on Latin American countries. Higher unemployment and the increase in poverty may lead to turbulent political times and have serious implications for regional security. Do poverty, violence and corruption open the door for extra-regional great powers in Latin America? If former U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) Commander Admiral Craig Faller is right,1 Latin America will fail to follow an “active non-alignment”2 and will be increasingly caught between hard external choices and facing a wide range of domestic emergencies. Venezuela is a leading case. As populists’ failed reforms and Maduro’s authoritarian path, even the Caracas’ golden apple—its oil industry—imploded, while China and Russia rushed not only to support their distant partner, but also to collect debts. Valuable commodities are being exchanged for debt and the Venezuelan people have become poorer and hopeless. More than five million have decided to leave the country and Maduro’s Venezuela has become both a pariah state in Latin America and an attractive spot for non-regional great powers’ projection. This article provides an analysis of the multidimensional interaction among local, regional and geo-political impacts of COVID-19, paying specific attention to the Argentine case and the increasing role of China and Russia in the Western Hemisphere...

This paper is in the specific field of contemporary international security, and addresses the issue of the production, trafficking and sale of illegal drugs in South America. The usual approaches that focus on the three Andean cocaine-producer nations are left aside, in order to analyze the lesser known situation of Brazil and Argentina on this issue, thus contributing to update the state of the art in these two countries. The two nations agree on the potentiality of their market for local consumption and their introduction into the transnational drug-trafficking schemes towards oversea markets. The paper follows a deductive methodological approach and a qualitative method with descriptive and explanatory levels of analysis. The findings will highlight key elements in the situation of both countries concerning criminality; in the case of Argentina, its northern border is vulnerable to the entry of illegal drugs; in the case of Brazil, the First Command of the Capital (Primeiro Comando da Capital – PCC) is a group that raises concerning perspectives as it is becoming the most relevant criminal organization of the Southern Cone. El presente artículo se inserta en el campo específico de la seguridad internacional contemporánea, y aborda la cuestión de la producción, tráfico y comercialización de drogas ilegales en América del Sur. Se dejan de lado los abordajes usuales, que centran su atención en las tres naciones andinas productoras de cocaína, para analizar la situación poco conocida en este tema de Brasil y Argentina, contribuyendo a la actualización del estado del arte sobre estos dos países. Las dos naciones coinciden en la potencialidad de su mercado de consumo local y su inserción en los esquemas transnacionales de tráfico a mercados de ultramar. En términos metodológicos el abordaje del artículo será deductivo y el método de tipo cualitativo con niveles de análisis descriptivo y explicativo. Las conclusiones pondrán de relevancia elementos clave en la situación de ambos países en materia de criminalidad; en el caso argentino, la vulnerabilidad de su frontera norte, por donde ingresan las drogas ilegales; respecto a Brasil, las preocupantes perspectivas que ofrece el grupo Primer Comando de la Capital (PCC) que se encamina a constituirse en la entidad criminal más relevante del Cono Sur. Este artigo está inserido no campo específico da segurança internacional contemporânea e aborda a questão da produção, tráfico e comercialização de drogas ilegais na América do Sul. As abordagens usuais, voltadas para as três nações andinas que produzem cocaína, são deixadas de lado para que a situação desse assunto no Brasil e na Argentina, pouco conhecida, seja analisada, contribuindo para a atualização do estado da arte desses dois países. As duas nações concordam com o potencial de seu mercado consumidor local e sua inserção em esquemas de tráfico transnacionais para mercados ultramarinos. Em termos metodológicos, a abordagem do artigo será dedutiva e o método de tipo qualitativo, com níveis de análise descritiva e explicativa. As conclusões destacarão elementos-chave na situação de ambos os países em matéria de criminalidade. No caso argentino, a vulnerabilidade da fronteira norte, onde entram drogas ilegais. No que se refere ao Brasil, as perspectivas preocupantes oferecidas pelo Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), que visa tornar-se o grupo criminoso mais relevante do Cone Sul.