Securing tyrants or fostering reform? : U.S. internal security assistance to repressive and transitioning regimes

The Resource Securing tyrants or fostering reform? : U.S. internal security assistance to repressive and transitioning regimes
Label
Securing tyrants or fostering reform? : U.S. internal security assistance to repressive and transitioning regimes
Title remainder
U.S. internal security assistance to repressive and transitioning regimes
Statement of responsibility
Seth G. Jones [and others]
Contributor
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
The United States has provided assistance to the security forces of a number of repressive states that do not share its political ideals. This practice raises several questions, the answers to which have significant policy implications: Has U.S. assistance improved the effectiveness of internal security forces in countering security threats? Has it improved the accountability and human rights records of these forces? What is the relationship between improving security and improving accountability and human rights? This study addresses these questions by examining the results of U.S. assistance to four states: El Salvador, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. U.S. assistance to El Salvador improved the accountability and human rights practices of the Salvadoran police but not their effectiveness as violent crime rates soared. In Uzbekistan, programs focused on counterproliferation, export control, and specific investigatory techniques were effective. But autocracy and repression by Uzbek officials, including security forces, have increased in recent years. Assistance to Afghanistan has somewhat improved the accountability and human rights practices of Afghan security forces. The vast majority of serious human rights abuses in the country are now committed by insurgent groups and warlords. In Pakistan, the U.S. government has not paid significant attention to the implications of its security assistance for the improvement of accountability and human rights, in large part because these goals have not been a focus of that assistance. Overall, these analyses suggest that efforts to improve the effectiveness, human rights, and accountability of internal security forces are more likely to be successful when states are transitioning from repressive to democratic systems. In addition, several factors are critical for success: the duration of assistance, viability of the justice system, and support and buy-in from the local government (including key ministries)
Action
digitized
Cataloging source
N$T
Dewey number
355/.0320973
Illustrations
illustrations
Index
no index present
LC call number
UA12
LC item number
.S37 2006eb
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
  • dictionaries
  • bibliography

Context

Context of Securing tyrants or fostering reform? : U.S. internal security assistance to repressive and transitioning regimes

Work of

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