Shapiro, Gregory

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TERROR REIGNS SUPREME AND THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE IS SEEMINGLY ENDLESS IN THE TRIPLE FRONTIER

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NYLS Journal of Human Rights Volume 19 Issue 3 Article 11 2003 TERROR REIGNS SUPREME AND THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE IS SEEMINGLY ENDLESS IN THE TRIPLE FRONTIER Gregory Shapiro Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/journal_of_human_rights  Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Shapiro, Gregory (2003) "TERROR REIGNS SUPREME AND THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE IS SEEMINGLY ENDLESS IN THE TRIPLE FRONTIER," NYLS Journal of Human Rights: Vol. 19 : Iss. 3 , Article 11. Available at: https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/journal_of_human_rights/vol19/iss3/11 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@NYLS. It has been accepted for inclusion in NYLS Journal of Human Rights by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@NYLS. TERROR REIGNS SUPREME AND THECYCLE OF VIOLENCE IS SEEMINGLYENDLESS IN THE TRIPLE FRONTIERI. INTRODUCTIONBrazil as a nation has suffered the brunt of numerous criminalactivities which can be seen throughout the countryside and in thefaces of its people. Corruption, terrorism, poverty, and drug traf-ficking dominate the area and perpetuate ongoing violence. Withthe development of Itaipu Binacional, one of the world's largesthydroelectric power plants, a reservoir was created which hasserved as a medium for transportation and a bridge between thecities that make up the "Triple Frontier". The area is the center ofnumerous illicit activities and links to terrorism, but opposition tosuch behavior exists and agreements have been enacted tostrengthen the forces at work to eradicate problems in the area.II. THE DEVELOPMENT OF ITAIPU BINACIONAL-THE WORLD'SLARGEST HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANTItaipu Binacional is a public enterprise, the development ofwhich was a joint effort by Brazil and Paraguay. Completed in 1983at a cost of $10 billion, it is among the world's largest hydroelectricpower plants.' Located on the Parana River, the plant's reservoircreated by the damming serves as the territorial division betweenBrazil and Paraguay. The reservoir is also very close to the borderof Argentina. 2 In 1995, based on a survey by the American Societyof Civil Engineers, Itaipu was named one of the seven wonders ofthe modern world. 3The plant generates record-breaking figures of energy produc-tion on a yearly basis and is responsible for 89% of the electricenergy consumed in Paraguay and 25% of the Brazilian market.41 International Research Institute For Climate Prediction, Itaipu Bina-cional, available at http://iri.columbia.edu/application/sector/water/BRAZIL/itaipu.html.2 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Agreement Strengthens LawEnforcement for Itaipu, Oct. 28, 2002, available at http://www.undcp.org/brazil/itaipu-agreement.html.3 Itaipu Binacional, supra note 1.4 Id.895N.Y.L. SCH. J. HUM. RTS.Today it serves as a major tourist attraction, and since its opening tothe public in the 1970s, over 11 million visitors have gazed at itsimpressive stature.5 For all of the plant's beneficial aspects, this re-gion and its surrounding cities also attract international criminal ac-tivity.6 According to the Brazilian Federal Police Department(DPF) in Foz do Iguacu, the city where the plant is located, thetrafficking of drugs, weapons, and other commodities, smuggling,and money laundering are just some of the criminal activities thattake place.7III. THE CITIES THAT FORM THE "TRIPLE FRONTIER": ACENTER FOR ILLICIT ACTIVITYThe aforementioned criminal activities in Foz do Iguacu andaround the plant are only part, however, of a larger network ofcriminal activities that dominate the surrounding landscape. Thearea between the cities of Foz do Iguacu, Brazil, Ciudad del Este,Paraguay, and Iguazu, Argentina, is commonly referred to as the"Triple Frontier". 8 While this area attracts millions of tourists, itunfortunately also attracts those with intentions far less altruistic.The "Triple Frontier" harbors and serves as a hub for numer-ous criminal activities and their perpetrators. Some of these activi-ties include terrorism, the trafficking of people and goods, drugs,weapons, forgeries, money laundering, prostitution, and illegalgambling. 9 The exorbitant rate of criminal activity is partly due tocorruption, which is rampant among the senior ranks of local andfederal government in the area.' 0 Such corruption, coupled with theease of crossing borders of the neighboring countries, makes thearea attractive for those looking to elude legal scrutiny."It is thus not surprising that these cities were areas where thefirst settlements of immigrants from Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt,and Iraq were established. It is also where the Palestinian terrorists5 Agreement Strengthens Law Enforcement for Itaipu., supra note 2.6 Id.7 Id.8 Blanca Madani, Hezbollah's Global Finance Network: The Triple Frontier,MIDDLE EAST INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN (Vol. 4 No. 1), Janauary 2002, available athttp://www.meib.org/issues/0201.htm.9 Security and Intelligence Advising, International Terrorism: The Impor-tance of the Tri-Border Area (Feb. 2002), available at http://www.siacorp.com/3bor-der%20paper-abstract.pdf [hereinafter International Terrorism].10 Id.11 Id.896 [Vol. XIX2003] VIOLENCE IN THE TRIPLE FRONTIER 897organized and emerged about fifty years ago. 12 The presence ofmembers of international terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah,Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al Gamma Al Islamyia, AlFatah, Muslim Egyptian Brothers, Al Qaida, and ETA have alsobeen detected. 13 The last twenty years have also seen an influx ofimmigrants from China, Taiwan, and Korea and with this influx, thepresence of the international criminal organization called the Chi-nese Triads. 14 Conflicts have currently arisen between the Arab ter-rorist groups and the Triads for the control of the criminal resourcesin the region.15The Arab population in the region is believed to numberaround 20,000 or about one in every 30 residents. 16 Most of thepopulation resides in Cuidad del Este, whose inhabitants have dra-matically increased since the construction of the hydroelectric damin 1967. Hezbollah's presence in the zone was first brought to theattention of investigators when it was concluded that they were in-volved in the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy and again in the1994 bombing of the Argentine-Israeli Community Center in Bue-nos Aires. The pro-Iranian Hezbollah cells implicated were head-quartered in Cuidad del Este.17 Finally, in October 1998, asuspected member of Hezbollah was arrested in front of the USEmbassy in Paraguay while analyzing the facility, possibly in ad-vance of a terrorist attack.18The situation in the area remains dismal due to certain "bene-fits" given by the countries that form the infamous "Triple Fron-tier". 19 Brazil plays a focal position in terrorist planning becausecitizenship there is readily obtainable and law enforcement officialsrefuse to extradite their citizens. 20 Paraguay also serves a key rolein terrorist activities by allowing for their financing under an um-brella of illegal businesses, established through the bribery of keyofficials.21 A recent investigation by the National Direction of Civil12 Id.13 Id.14 Id.15 Id.16 Madani, supra note 8.17 Id.18 Terrorist Networks Being Broken in South America, June 13, 2002, availa-ble at http://www.informationwar.org/terroristnetwork/ins-america.htm.19 Id.20 Id.21 Id.898 N.Y.L. SCH. J. HUM. RTS. [Vol. XIXAeronautics determined that approximately sixteen foreignersenter Paraguay illegally on a weekly basis through the airport atCiudad del Este, paying around $5,000, US currency, in advance.Unfortunately, many more are believed to enter by land.22 Finally,due to Argentina's lack of effective border control and high levelsof corruption among their ranking officers, terrorists enter and exitthe country with very few problems.23As a consequence of the presence of this significant terror ele-ment, the United States has been forced to rethink its relationshipwith many of this region's countries, especially after the September11th attacks. A focus has been placed on the Latin American andSouth American countries whose security agencies are ill-equippedto deal with the problem. The Bush Administration, in fact, hasasked the governments of Brazil and Paraguay to investigate themovements of Palestinian and other Arab nationals on their borderand especially in the "Triple Frontier" area.2 4The United States government has also declared a zero toler-ance policy regarding international financing of organizations listedas terrorist groups by the United States State Department.25 Whilethe exact number of illegal remittances from South America is notknown, investigations place the number in the tens of millions ofdollars.26 Although security in the "Triple Frontier" has increasedand tended to quell some of the widespread abuses in the area, ter-rorists are simply fleeing to other cities in Brazil. Without more co-operation and an increase in funding to secure these surroundingareas, this "hide and seek" cycle will remain endless.2 7With the end of the Cold War, a priority had been placed ontrade expansion, which, unfortunately, has come at the expense ofensuring security. 28 Today, willingness to continue trade relations,and eventually expand these relations, is largely dependent on howmuch this region cooperates with Washington on security-relatedmatters.2 9 Colin Powell reiterated this point by emphasizing that fu-ture relations with the area will correlate with the level of respon-22 Madani, supra note 8.23 International Terrorism, supra note 9.24 Madani, supra note 8.25 Id.26 Id.27 Id.28 Id.29 Id.2003] VIOLENCE IN THE TRIPLE FRONTIER 899siveness of foreign governments to US requests for support andassistance.30Such a request for unbridled cooperation, however, presents aconflict of interest to these countries and their top officials. TheTriple Frontier is the largest center of commerce in Brazil, and theArab community there is frequently described by the press as a"pillar" of economic activity. 31 Were this community to abandonthe region, the impact on the economy could have devastatingramifications. Thus, officials are wary of taking actions that are toointrusive of these people thereby forcing them out of the region.IV. THE CURRENT SITUATION IN BRAZILClearly the ramifications from this region's perpetrators andthe lack of adequate security are not maintained in a bubble. In-stead, they have disastrous effects on the entire region, none moreevident than those effects in Brazil. In a telling article, JenniferRich of MSNBC chronicled the story of Marcus Perez, an aspiringphotojournalist who met an untimely death in Sao Paolo.32 Richtold how it was hard to find anyone in Brazil who hadn't been per-sonally touched by violence, and highlighted this statement withsupporting statistics. In the first nine months of 1999, for example,9,530 homicides were reported among a state population of about36 million, averaging 35 killings a day. 33 Every hour, 40 people inthe state were robbed, 23 people were mugged and 23 cars wereeither hijacked or stolen.34Many of the problems in Brazil, she explained, stemmed fromgross disparities in wealth-between those with money and thoseinvariably without. The city's unemployment rate-close to 20%-and a tremendous increase in gun ownership has created a lowerclass in Brazil brimming with frustration and violence.35 In 1999,President Fernando Henrique Cardoso unveiled the country's firstcomprehensive anti-violence package, which attempted to restruc-30 Id.31 Id.32 Jennifer Rich, Brazil's Criminal Tidal Wave, May 19, 2002, available atwww.conjunturacriminal.com.br/artigos/kahnl29.htm.33 Id.34 Id.35 Id.N.Y.L. SCH. J. HUM. RTS.ture the federal government's efforts to combat organized crimeand drug and weapons trafficking. 36The steady influx of drug trafficking into Brazil represents an-other major problem and accounts for an estimated 60% of homi-cide-related violence.37 Drug abuse has drained the economy bylowering the national GDP by an estimated 8% a year due to re-duced productivity and premature deaths.38 The extensive drug useamong the population correlates directly with Brazil's AIDS epi-demic. According to the World Health Organization approximately550,000 persons are infected by the HIV in Brazil39 and approxi-mately 40,000 incarcerated Brazilians are HIV-positive. 40 Since1994, United Nations Drug and Crime Prevention projects havebeen initiated, aiming at educating Brazilians about the link be-tween intravenous drug use and HIV/AIDS.41V. THE AGREEMENT TO REGULATE THE ITAIPU's RESERVOIRAND ITS GOALSAs a response to these largely unregulated atrocities, an agree-ment was reached between the United Nations Office of Drug Con-trol and Crime Prevention (ODCCP), the DPF, and ItaipuBinacional on October 11, 2002. Its goal was to provide funds forthe intensive policing of the Itaipu's reservoir starting in 2003. Thedesign of the effort attempts to prevent and stem illegal immigra-tion, the smuggling of guns and munitions, and the trafficking ofnarcotics and human beings. The agreement also extends to the pre-vention of the illegal transportation of chemical products used torefine illicit drugs and their chemical precursors.42According to Joaquim Mesquita, the police chief of DPF in Fozdo Iguacu (one of the major cities surrounding the power plant),"there will be more security for Itaipu and a more effective fight36 Id.37 United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, Cause for Hope in Brazil: Ed-ucating the Most Vulnerable About Drug Abuse and HIV/AIDS (June 2002), avail-able at www.undcp.org/odccp/newsletter_2002-06-30_lpage005.html [hereinafterCause for Hope in Brazil].38 Id.39 United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, Drugs and AIDS PreventionProject, available at http://www.unodc.org/unodc/project-summary-adbra-99_e02.html (last visited May 15, 2003).40 Cause for Hope in Brazil, supra note 37.41 Id.42 Agreement Strengthens Law Enforcement for !taipu, supra note 2.900 [Vol. XIX2003] VIOLENCE IN THE TRIPLE FRONTIER 901against crime within the reservoir's area and throughout the ParanaRiver, as well."' 43 Mesquita may very well have reason for hope be-cause part of the agreement included the establishment of a specialnucleus for aquatic operations (DPF NEPOM) in Foz do Iguacu.44The DPF NEPOM will coordinate police operations and at-tempt to repress environmental aggressions within the power plantarea. They will guard and be responsible for the entire ParanaRiver. The patrol will span from the Itaipu's dam to the FriendshipBridge, which spans the Parana River and unites Foz de Iguazu withCiudad del Este on the border between Brazil and Paraguay.45Before any security was implemented, and until September 14,2002, border controls were basically non-existent on Puente de laAmistad, the location of the Bridge of Friendship. All operationsunder the agreement will be performed inside Brazilian territoryeven though the operation borders both Brazil and Paraguay.46Funds from the project Strengthening of Chemical PrecursorsControl, which was developed by the ODCCP Brazil office in part-nership with the DPF in 1998, will be used by Itaipu Binacional.These funds will be used to purchase three patrol motor boats, oneinflatable boat, and communication equipment designed specificallyfor intelligence gathering. The DPF already has two aquatic vehi-cles, given to them by Itaipu Binacional, which will be used to sup-port patrolling operations.47Brazil and its bordering nations, no doubt, face seriousproblems with consequences that are felt worldwide. But with thesteps that are being taken, including the agreement signed on Octo-ber 11 to regulate Itaipu Binacional's reservoir, as well as othersalready in place, hope remains that progress will be made. Now thatthe dire circumstances of Brazil and the surrounding region havebecome more visible, especially since the September 11th attackson the United States, interested observers can institute a more con-certed, well-planned effort. Hopefully the small steps that are beingtaken can play a role in the eventual eradication of crime and itssources in the area.Gregory Shapiro43 Id.44 Id.45 Madani, supra note 8.46 Agreement Strengthens Law Enforcement for Itaipu, supra note 2.47 Id.

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TERROR REIGNS SUPREME AND THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE IS SEEMINGLY ENDLESS IN THE TRIPLE FRONTIER

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