State Violence and Democracy in Latin America

This book explores why state violence has proliferated across Latin America despite the adoption of extensive political and legal reforms intended to deter such violence. The authors argue that legacy conditions (uneven state capacity, weak rule of law, and socioeconomic inequalities) are met with what they term “public order violence,” which results in weakened democratic institutions and a cycle of violence that is difficult to escape. Combining in-depth case studies with new cross-national data, the book provides a comprehensive analysis of the history, evolution, and contemporary architecture of state violence in the region. Individual chapters explain how public order violence permeates everyday policing, border security, and economic growth. The conclusion outlines the legal foundations of state violence and pathways toward a more peaceful future. This book is essential reading for scholars of Latin American politics, political violence, transitional justice, civil-military relations, democratization, international relations and security studies.

Brett J. Kyle is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. His most recent book, with Andrew G. Reiter, is Military Courts, Civil-Military Relations, and the Legal Battle for Democracy: The Politics of Military Justice (Routledge, 2021).
Tricia D. Olsen is Professor and the Stassen Chair of World Peace at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs and Department of Political Science. She is the author of Seeking Justice: Access to Remedy for Corporate Human Rights Abuse (Cambridge University Press, 2023), among other publications.
Andrew G. Reiter is Professor of Politics and International Relations at Mount Holyoke College. His most recent book, co-authored with Brett J. Kyle, is Military Courts, Civil-Military Relations, and the Legal Battle for Democracy: The Politics of Military Justice (Routledge, 2021).