International Security and New Threats: Securitisation and Desecuritisation of Drug Trafficking at the Brazilian Borders

Silva, Caroline Cordeiro Viana e; Pereira, Alexsandro Eugenio

doi:10.1590/S0102-8529.2019410100011

Caroline Cordeiro Viana e Silva

Federal University of Parana (UFPR), Curitiba-PR, Brazil; carolviana@yahoo.com.br. ORCID iD 0000-0003-3724-7704.

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3724-7704

Alexsandro Eugenio Pereira

Federal University of Parana (UFPR), Curitiba-PR, Brazil; alexsep@uol.com.br. ORCID iD 0000-0002-9613-4702

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9613-4702

Caroline Cordeiro Viana e Silva is a PhD candidate in Political Science from the Federal University of Parana (UFPR). She holds a Master in Political Science (2013) specialising in Political Sociology (2010) from the same institution and a degree in International Relations (2008). She is currently a professor at International University Center (Uninter) teaching the courses International Relations, Political Science and Sociology. She is also coordinator of the International Relations course and academic coordinator of the internationalisation sector of the same institution. She is a researcher at the International Relations Research Center (NEPRI) of the Federal University of Parana. She develops research on the following topics: security studies, securitisation theory, international politics and political science, about which she has published in some national journals.

Alexsandro Eugenio Pereira has a PhD in Political Science at the University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil. He is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and on the Post-Graduate Programs on Political Science and Public Policies at the Federal University of Parana (UFPR). He coordinates the International Relations Research Center at the Federal University of Parana and its journal Conjuntura Global (https://revistas.ufpr.br/conjgloblal) as Editor-in-Chief. He is a researcher in Political Science and International Relations. His research focuses on: theory of international relations; security studies; securitisation theory; and policy transfer in regional integration processes (Mercosur and the EU).

SECURITISATION STAGE	YEAR	LEGISLATION	CONTENT
Non-politicised	1890	Penal code, Art.159°	Categorised the conduct associated with the use of psychotropic substances
	1936	Decree n°780	Created the Permanent Monitoring Committee
	1938	Decree 2953	Create the National Narcotic Drugs Monitoring Committee
	1938	Decree-Law n° 891	Regulation on drugs
	1940	Decree-Law n° 2848, Art° 281	Regulation on narcotic drugs production, trafficking and consumption
	1964	Decree n° 54216	Established the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs
	1967	Decree-Law n° 159	Considered as equivalent to narcotic drugs the substances that cause physical or psychic dependence
	1968	Decree-Law n° 385	Regulation on narcotic drugs commerce, possession or access facilitation
	1971	Law n° 5726	Adjusted Brazilian legislation to international guidelines
Politicised	1976	Law n° 6368	Created penal classification for narcotic drugs possession, trafficking and use
	1977	Decree n° 79388	Established the Convention on Psychotropic Substances
	1986	Law n° 7560	Created the Fund for Drug Abuse Prevention, Recovery and Combat (FUNCAB)
	1988	Federal Constitution, Articles 5° and 144°	Regulation of drug-related crimes
	1990	Law n° 8072	Considered drug trafficking as heinous crimes
	1991	Law n° 8257	Provides for land expropriation
	1991	Decree n° 154	Established the Convention against the Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances
	1993	Law n° 8764	Created the National Secretariat on Narcotic Drugs
	1995	Law n° 9017	Provides for the control and monitoring of chemical products or inputs that can be used to produce cocaine and its derivatives
	1998	Ordinance n° 344	Published the technical regulations on substances and medicines subject to special control
	2000	Decree-Law n° 3696	Provides for the National Anti-Drug System
	2001	Decree-Law n° 3887	Provides for the use of the armed forces to guarantee law and order
	2002	Law n° 10409	Provides for monitoring, treatment, control and repression of drugs production, use and trafficking
	2003	Resolution n° 1 CONAD	Provides for strategic guidelines to the National Anti-Drug System
In process of securitisation	2004	Decree n° 5144	Shoot-down law, allowing hostile aircraft to be shot down
	2005	Resolution n° 3 CONAD	Established the National Drug Policy (PNAD).
	2006	Law n° 11343	Established the new anti-drug law
	2006	Decree-Law n° 5912	Regulated Law n° 11343 and issues related CONAD and SISNAD
Securitised	2011	Decree n° 7496	Established the Strategic Border Plan
Desecuritised	2016	Decree n° 8903	Established the Border Protection Integrated Programme

	Very trustworthy	Trustworthy	Somewhat trustworthy	Untrustworthy	No response/Do not know
Military Police	6.2%	31.3%	40.6%	21.4%	0.5%
Civil Police	6.0%	32.6%	39.6%	20.6%	1.2%
Federal Police	10.5%	40.4%	31.4%	14.5%	3.2%
Federal Highway Police	8.9%	40.6%	31.2%	15.2%	4.1%

OPERATIONS	REGIONS	PERIOD	MILITARY PERSONNEL
ÁGATA 1	Border of Amazon, involving the municipalities of Tabatinga and São Gabriel da Cachoeira	August 2011	3,500
ÁGATA 2	Borders of the South and Central-west regions, covering the states of Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul	September and October 2011	8,000
ÁGATA 3	States of Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul and Rondônia	November and December 2011	6,500
ÁGATA 4	North region of the country, covering the states of Amapá, Pará, Amazonas and Roraima	May 2012	8,500
ÁGATA 5	South region, in the states of Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, covering an area of more than 450,000 km²	August 2012	11,000
ÁGATA 6	Region of 4,216 km, from Corumbá (MS) to Mâncio Lima (AC)	October 2012	7,500
ÁGATA 7	Dry border of the country, covering a total of more than 16,000 km	May and June 2013	31,000
ÁGATA 8	Dry border of the country, from Oiapoque (AP) to Chuí (RS)	May 2014	32,000
ÁGATA 9	West border of Brazil	July 2015	9,700
ÁGATA 10	Military command of Amazônia and the North region, Manaus (AM) and Belém (PA), respectively	October 2015	9,800
ÁGATA 11	The entire dry border of Brazil	June 2016	23,000

[1] Caroline Cordeiro Viana e Silva is a PhD candidate in Political Science from the Federal University of Parana (UFPR). She holds a Master in Political Science (2013) specialising in Political Sociology (2010) from the same institution and a degree in International Relations (2008). She is currently a professor at International University Center (Uninter) teaching the courses International Relations, Political Science and Sociology. She is also coordinator of the International Relations course and academic coordinator of the internationalisation sector of the same institution. She is a researcher at the International Relations Research Center (NEPRI) of the Federal University of Parana. She develops research on the following topics: security studies, securitisation theory, international politics and political science, about which she has published in some national journals.

Brasil

Brasil

International Security and New Threats: Securitisation and Desecuritisation of Drug Trafficking at the Brazilian Borders

Segurança Internacional e Novas Ameaças: Securitização e Dessecuritização do Tráfico de Drogas nas Fronteiras Brasileiras

Abstract

Non-politicised	Government does not participate There is no exclusive legislation There are some articles in the legislation for specific cases
Politicised	The issue is discussed by the government Some legislation is improved and specific laws are created There is government participation through production of specific public policies and allocation of resources Authorities stand out as possible securitising agents
In process of securitisation	All the variables of the stage ‘politicised’Mechanisms for an potential governmental intervention are createdThe issue is considered a threatThe governmental agents’ narrative to the audience reveals that the issue is considered a threat
Securitised	All the variables of the stage ‘in process of securitisation’ Identification of the functional actorsGovernment action: emergency, punctual, limited in time and territory, and of a transitory natureGovernmental resources are allocated to the emergency action The population legitimates the adoption of emergency measures