The Maras as a Threat to Sovereignty

Di Girolamo Gallardo, Laura Rosaria

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The Maras as a Threat to Sovereignty

Di Girolamo Gallardo, Laura Rosaria

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to understand if the Maras are a threat to sovereignty in the Northern Triangle countries of Central America and, if so, how they are threatening the state. In order to do this, the paper will firstly work to understand what sovereignty is through scholarly works defining and debating the concept. Then, by studying the historical and political context of the three countries, it will analyze what sovereignty looked like in the states before the Maras existed and what it is like now. Finally, once it is understood how much of a threat the Maras really are, the states’ responses will be identified in order to measure their success and see how their responses could be unproved. The theoretical chapter is divided into three sections: what sovereignty is, how states lose sovereignty, and how they can regain it. Definitions on fragile states and insurgencies will be taken from the CIA and the Fund for Peace in order to then use these definitions, as well as the theories from the literature review, to develop a conclusion on how much of a threat the Maras pose to sovereignty. The paper finds that the Maras, while they are not the underlying cause of state fragility in the Northern Triangle, are a growing threat to sovereignty. It will also conclude that the state responses have failed because they have not tackled the root cause of the issue and have not collaborated amongst themselves, and it will provide some policy recommendations based on to the conclusions made in previous chapters.