Latin America in Focus What’s on the Table for Brazil’s Security Issues ahead of 2026 Elections?
Jan 14, 2026
Robert Muggah, a security policy expert and co-founder of the Igarapé Institute, discusses Brazil's pressing security challenges ahead of the 2026 elections. He analyzes the impact of organized crime on violence rates and highlights two significant police operations revealing criminal sophistication. Muggah argues for evidence-based crime prevention over traditional mano dura policies. He also emphasizes the need for prison reform and targeted approaches to disrupt gang power, calling for accountable political commitments to security solutions.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
U.S. Narco-Framing Shapes Regional Response
- The U.S. framing of counter-narcotics as regime change normalizes extraterritorial interventions in the hemisphere.
- This may fragment criminal networks, spur diversification, and raise political contagion across Latin America.
Decentralized Policing Drives Fragmentation
- Brazil's public security system is highly decentralized with state-level responsibility and parallel military and civil police.
- This fragmentation explains variation in policing styles, accountability, and high levels of police violence.
Stark Scale Of Police Lethality
- Brazil records extraordinarily high police killings, far exceeding comparable countries like the U.S.
- In 2023 over 6,300 people were killed by police, averaging about 18 deaths per day.