Free Essay Example. Trans-Border Security

While discussing how to forge a collaborative effort in developing the region and opening up borders for free trade, the participants who attended the Summit of the Americas focused on criminal activities and how to punish them. The meeting focused on how to deal with corruption and individuals found perpetrating crimes of any kind. Some people may wonder why the focus of the congregation was on general crime when it should have emphasized policies that foster duty-free trade between the countries. The Summit of the Americas that was held in 1995 had two major objectives that include the common goals that member countries have and the obligations that each member country has when dealing with each other. The goals set in the summit were directed toward the political, social, and economic empowerment of member states. The discussions of this meeting focused majorly on general crimes since trade regulations are affected by both socioeconomic and political factors, and also because illegal dealers in firearms and drugs could take advantage of weak measures to smuggle them across member countries.

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Owing to the formation of the trade treaty, the summit emphasized on combating drugs in member countries. Among the measures taken include hardening anti-drug laws, strengthening prevention programs, as well as formulating procedures to trap illegal chemicals, narcotics, and firearms (Costa, 3). The above measures were proposed to prevent opportunists from taking advantage of free trade to enhance their illegal deals, which promote crime and thus affect the desired serene entrepreneurial environment. Increased drug abuse and possession of illegal firearms have been shown to incite high cases of homicide according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (20). The US has been hesitant to open its Mexican border since around 70% of the cocaine in the US is obtained in Mexico.

The emphasis of the regulation also emphasized on general crime to combat any perceived transnational planned crime. Citizen security is key to building a comprehensive setting for businesses to thrive (Costa, 6). Opening up the border to free trade would definitely provide a platform for citizens to interact freely. As much as these interactions can foster better trade deals, they may also provide room for crime collaborations between people from different nations. Measures to combat these kinds of crimes would enhance trade in the region. Some of the regulations that were put in place to combat this challenge were to monitor border crossings so that records of who passed, where, and when are kept for reference (Costa, 7). Further, law enforcers from the whole region would be allowed to share information amongst them to strengthen security. Criminals from one member country could not be allowed to cross to any other neighboring country to escape punishment.

Terrorism has always been erupting fear in major countries since it results in loss of both property and lives, thus threatening national and regional security. The summit's discussion looked keenly at ways of preventing terrorism to enhance free trade in the region. Among measures enacted to avoid funding terrorists include reporting large transactions to the government, which were then probed to clear doubt (U.S Department of State, 3). In the case that the transaction was suspected, procedural steps are then advanced to dig deep in the matter.

Another crime that was targeted by the summit goals was preventing political corruption. Corruption is a factor that kills any development in a country and diverges its resources for the benefit of individuals. The summit intended to fight corruption by establishing the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (Keller, 5). The Convention established preventive approaches, described corruption crimes as well as enhanced legal collaboration in strengthening anti-corruption measures.

The discussion that was held concerning the establishment of a communal future and free trade in the Americas focused more on crime and its prevention to create a cozy environment for businesses. Free trade can only boom better where there is enhanced security and respect for human rights. The summit discussed more on how to combat drug trafficking and illegal firearms since they incite a violent environment that does not promote trade at all. It also focused on fighting corruption and police brutality so as to concentrate more resources on the development of the entire region.

Works Cited

Costa, G. Citizen Security and Transnational Organized Crime in the Americas. (2012). https://sur.conectas.org/en/citizen-security-transnational-organized-crime-americas/

Keller, M. Explainer: What Is the Summit of the Americas? (2012,April 11). https://www.as-coa.org/articles/explainer-what-summit-americas

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). 2011 Global Study on Homicide. Trends, Contexts, Data (2011). https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/statistics/crime/global-study-on-homicide-2011.html

U.S Department of State. Summit of the Americas: Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affair. (2020). https://www.state.gov/summit-of-the-americas/