Combating Terrorism in the Brazilian Tri-Border Area: A Necessary Law Enforcement Strategic Approach

The whole world is in some way affected by terrorism. It has many faces, different causes, and comes about by distinct ways around the globe. As a consequence, in the Brazilian Tri-border Area (TBA) terrorism has its own characteristics. In the TBA, terrorist groups are focused on supporting activities for their organizations. The problems related to terrorism in the TBA are connected with the struggle between Arabs and Israelis in the Middle East. Terrorist groups, such as Hezbollah and HAMAS, have operatives in the TBA in order to raise money and provide logistics to support their groups. In addition, these supporting activities are, as a rule, criminal efforts. So in the TBA, the best statecraft instrument to combat terrorism is law enforcement. In the Triple Frontier crime is the center of gravity for terrorism, and, as a consequence, the police are the most capable agency to deal with this situation. They can better prosecute organizations that perpetrate crimes to support terrorist groups. Hence, Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay must develop a strategic law enforcement approach to combat terrorism, based on ends, ways and means, with emphasis on police intelligence operations and covert criminal investigations.