A comparison of the Democratic Security Policy in Colombia and Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq

Abstract

The issue of security and democratic development in Colombia and Iraq are important for them as nations as well as for the international community. For Colombia, the Democratic Security Policy is a mechanism to establish government presence throughout the country; reclaim territory and the population from insurgent, paramilitary, and other criminal groups; and so end practically 60 years of internal conflict. Colombia's chronic instability not only creates tensions in the country, but also in the region as well as the United States. The DSP is the latest in a long line of efforts to secure the country and its citizens from the grasp of Colombia's insurgent and criminal groups. The Provincial Reconstruction Teams, imported into Iraq from Afghanistan, have adapted to a different Stability, Security, Transition, and Reconstruction environment with difficulty. The lack of coordination and resources, as well as security threats, has severely limited their effectiveness. This thesis seeks to examine the strengths and weaknesses of both the DSP in Colombia and the PRTs in Iraq to determine their effectiveness, as well as which methods, strategies, and practices might be transferable to other SSTR environments.