FIU’s Center for the Administration of Justice recently convened a national workshop in Washington, D.C., at the university's hub on Capitol Hill, to brief representatives from partner federal agencies, congressional offices and international organizations and to seek input on strategies to combat corruption in Central and South America as a part of FIU’s research efforts in ensuring regional stability.
“Right now, in Latin America, we’re facing a stage in which autocracies and kleptocracies are on the rise,” remarked Eduardo Salcedo-Albaran, founder and CEO ofan organization in Colombia that has partnered with FIU to monitor trends of international drug, crime and trafficking networks using data provided by community-level partners. ‘Kleptocracies’ – governments that exploit a country’s resources for personal gain – are an emerging focus for the center.
FIU’s justice reform initiatives have included working with justice systems across the region. One example: The center worked with the office of of the attorney general in Costa Rica to strengthen capacity for tracking the narcotics trade and organized crime. With investments from the U.S. Department of State and USAID and assistance from regional partners, the center actively identifies the “enablers of corruption” – individuals at various levels of government - to counter the influence and injustice from governments operating outside of democratic norms, like those in Venezuela and El Salvador.
“Things have changed, and we’re responding to new risks from authoritarian regimes,” said Jose Miguel Cruz, director at the Center for Administration of Justice, part of FIU’s Steven J. Green School of International and International Affairs. Cruz hosted the event alongside co-director Ana Carazo and Hamilton Scholar Mia Rodriguez, a senior in the Honors College and the Green School who is interning with the Department of Commerce.
The representatives at the event addressed the spectrum of corruption, from everyday bribery to misconduct by high-level officials. The speakers warned that the rise in corruption threatens judicial reform and democracy in countries like Nicaragua, Colombia and Honduras. Much of the dialogue also touched on the increasing economic and political influence of China, which could threaten stability in the region.
“FIU’s research helps fill the void of a justice system using civil society, and events like these offer a safe space for people to gather on regional issues,” remarked David Consoli, senior consultant for the Department of State. Oftentimes, the ability for local anti-corruption organizations to assemble are restricted in countries experiencing corruption.
Michael J. Camilleri, acting assistant administrator of USAID's Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, commented on the strength of FIU’s relationship with USAID. “We take some pride on our side in seeing how the university has grown and thrived since that first grant,” said Camilleri. It was USAID, in the mid-eighties, that awarded FIU its first federal grant for justice reform activities. Now in its 40th year, the CAJ was at the time under the direction of founder Luis Salas.
“We need to boost conversations like these between civil society organizations and the academies to counter kleptocratic advancement,” said Salcedo. The CAJ currently is working to identify “transparency champions” - people or organizations working to undermine corruption by promoting accountability and openness in governments - and allies in the business and banking communities, and then to train journalists and activists in cryptocurrency science to track new kinds of economic corruption.