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Honduras: military power

Thursday, October 13, 2011


WHAT? President Porfirio Lobo is considering merging the national police force and the Army, which would be able to draft young people.

WHY? Lobo believes that the police alone have not been effective enough in controlling either drug cartels or street gangs, which together have turned Honduras into the murder capital of the world.

WHAT'S NEXT? A merged security force could help reduce crime. Conscription alone would mean fewer young, unemployed men in the streets. On the other hand, some Hondurans worry that a strong army in a country with weak institutions increases the likelihood of a future military take-over of the government.

For more information, please contact Esteban Alvarez at [email protected]