Praise for States of Exception: Criminal Armed Groups and the Evolution of South American Policing

“States of Exception is a masterful work covering a wide array of themes related to policing in South America and how it is increasingly required to contend with evolving criminal armed groups that challenge state sovereignty. Rather than falling into the trap of utilizing military forces to respond to third generation gangs and heavily armed organized criminals it promotes the rule of law and ethical restraints on police militarization. It also delves into political and economic dimensions not typically addressed in international policing works of this nature bringing a higher level of scholarship to this endeavor.”

— Senior Fellow, Small Wars Journal-El Centro; Research Fellow, Future Security Initiative, Arizona State University.

“States of Exception offers a sharp and timely account of how criminal armed groups are reshaping security, governance, and state authority across South America. Its comparative perspective makes clear that the challenge is no longer simply organized crime, but the transformation of the boundaries between criminal power, policing, and the state itself. An important volume for anyone seeking to understand the region’s evolving security landscape.”

— Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, Professor, George Mason University; author of Los Zetas Inc. and Cárteles Inc.

“For three decades, John P. Sullivan has shaped how scholars and practitioners understand criminal insurgency, crime wars, and the evolution of third-generation gangs, and together with Pablo Baisotti’s deep grounding in Latin American politics and society, he has assembled an indispensable guide to one of the world's most violent regions. States of Exception brings together leading voices from across South America to examine how criminal armed groups are transforming policing, law, and the state itself. Scholars, policymakers, and security professionals will find no better starting point for understanding the contest between organized crime and state authority.”

— Matt Devost, CEO of OODA LLC and past Founder of the Terrorism Research Center.

“Across South America, the line between state and criminal functions is eroding. Armed groups tax, adjudicate, and recruit; states respond with extrajudicial police units, militarized tactics, and permanent emergencies. States of Exception documents both movements case by case. Its key lesson is that the illicit economy is globalization’s shadow ledger, and no amount of militarization in the south will balance it while the demand and the money go unchecked in the north.”

— Nils Gilman, Senior Advisor, Berggruen Institute; Deputy Editor, Noema Magazine.

“John P. Sullivan and Pablo Baisotti have masterfully assembled this edited volume addressing criminal armed groups (CAGs) in Latin America. The volume contains national case studies ranging from Chile and Uruguay to Venezuela, Brazil, and Colombia, giving it surprising breadth. It also addresses important aspects of the relationship between organized crime in the state in Latin America with a focus on corruption and the creation of parallel states. It further provides an important chapter on the role of Italian mafias in Latin America, exploring the global nature of organized crime in this region. States of Exception is a must have for researchers, students, and practitioners of organized crime and the state in Latin America.

— Nathan P. Jones, Professor and Department Chair of Security Studies, College of Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University.

“States of Exception: Criminal Armed Groups and the Evolution of South American Policing is a fascinating and timely book for anyone interested in organized crime, criminal governance, and the challenges facing modern policing in Latin America. Its comparative perspective offers valuable insights into how states respond to increasingly complex criminal organizations. I only wish I had had this book as a reference when I served as Undersecretary of Public Security in Mexico. Many of the issues discussed here were challenges I was dealing with firsthand, and this book would have been an invaluable resource.”

— Ghaleb Krame, Professor; Researcher, Faculty of Global Studies, Anáhuac University, Mexico.

For police leaders, policymakers, defense analysts, international security practitioners, and scholars of Latin America, States of Exception offers a framework for understanding criminal armed groups and assessing the institutions and policies charged with responding to them. Its contribution lies in connecting questions of security effectiveness with the legal foundations, public accountability, and democratic legitimacy of policing.

— Jorge Lasmer, Head of Post-Graduate Program in International Relations; Professor of International Relations, Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (PUC Minas), Brazil.

“States of Exception offers a valuable framework for understanding how criminal armed groups reshape policing, governance, and citizen security in South America. John P. Sullivan’s outstanding expertise in intelligence, organized crime, and policing complements Pablo Baisotti’s exemplary specialization in Latin America. Their introduction illuminates the interplay of criminal power, community loyalties, and state legitimacy. For intelligence education and scenario-based analysis, it raises important questions about militarization and legal reform. I recommend this volume to practitioners, educators, and policymakers confronting these complex security challenges.”

— Robin Lobb, Founder and President, Zeroes & Ones Inc; Vice President, Membership, International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE).

“As criminal armed groups increasingly contest territorial control and sovereign authority across South America, traditional paradigms of law enforcement face unprecedented institutional strain. In States of Exception, John P. Sullivan and Pablo Baisotti assemble a premier group of scholars to dissect the militarization of public security, state-sanctioned violence, and the normalization of exceptional measures. Moving seamlessly from empirical country case studies to sharp theoretical inquiries into criminal governance and third-generation gangs, this book is an important contribution to security studies, criminology, and Latin American politics. A sobering read for anyone seeking to understand the fragile balance between citizen security and democratic governance today.”

— Roberto Uchôa de Oliveira Santos, Executive Board Member, Fórum Brasileiro de Segurança Pública (Brazilian Forum on Public Safety).

“The cartels get the most attention about crime in Latin America, and justly so. But they have spawned some of the highest rates of violent crime in the world.  None better than the editors of this insightful volume to put together an assessment of the issues and where the region stands in addressing it, across a number of countries in the region. Sullivan is a unique combination of combating crime as an officer in the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and studying it. Baisotti is an international scholar whose research focuses of contemporary Latin American politics, history, and international relations.” 

— Gregory Treverton, former Chair of the U.S. National Intelligence Council; professor emeritus at the University of Southern California; and Chair of the Global TechnoPolitics Forum.