Tri-border Area Research Articles

Limits in the media: the representation of the Tri-Border Area in the newspapers Folha de S.Paulo and O Globo (2011-2019)

A Tríplice Fronteira entre Brasil, Argentina e Paraguai é muitas vezes associada a uma terra sem lei, o que desconsidera suas características de polo energético, comercial e turístico. O foco deste artigo é observar quais são as representações sobre a região nos jornais Folha de S.Paulo e O Globo e se elas tendem a reforçar essa imagem. Para tanto, são usados os pressupostos teóricos de framing e agenda-setting. Também optou-se por uma análise qualitativa, complementada pelo software NVivo, que detectou o léxico que mais frequentemente é associado à região. Os resultados demonstram uma prevalência de assuntos ligados a ilegalidades, com ênfase em terrorismo. Do total de textos sobre a Tríplice Fronteira publicados entre 2011 e 2019, 55,5% deles, em O Globo, e 47%, na Folha de S.Paulo, referem-se a ilegalidades. O radical terror- esteve presente, respectivamente, em 39% e 40% dos textos. Este artigo sugere que a cobertura jornalística feita pelos dois veículos de comunicação não segue acontecimentos pontuais e carece de vozes dissonantes das forças de segurança. Isso tende a reforçar a imagem de região insegura e, que, por isso, demandaria soluções de vigilância e controle.

Application of Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA) to Address Climate-Induced Risks through the Lens of Africa Borderland

The objective of this study is to gain a holistic and enhanced understanding of the characteristics of the livelihood of communities in the Liptako-Gourma region. This region, known for the tri-border area, has become the epicenter of the conflict since 2015. The study employs the Sustainable Livelihood Approach to guide survey results, as well as a focus group discussion. The results of the survey are analyzed to assess the linkage between climate-induced risks and development challenges in the region. Furthermore, the paper explores the interactions between climatic stresses and conflict risk. By taking the Liptako-Gourma region (Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso) as a focal study and analyzing the factors impacting the livelihoods of people in the region, a survey was conducted. It included questions related to agriculture, animal husbandry, and natural resource management, among other things. The survey had seven sections and was conducted with 287 people aged between 25 to 77 years from Bagawa and Tin-Akoff. Climate perceptions were evaluated through individual and group interviews. The result from the cohort study showed a close association between security and developmental challenges in the Liptako-Gourma region. This is due to the region’s reliance on agriculture and animal husbandry, which involves frequent migration and population movement across the borders. Furthermore, the study revealed that (1) climate-induced shocks are increasingly manifested, (2) the adaptive capacity to weather climate shock remains low, (3) mobility and migration is a common strategy, and (4) the conflict over the usage of natural resources exists; however, it is not the primary cause of conflicts.

An approach of the state in/from its national borders: the case of the argentine side of the Tri-Border Area of Paraná

Resumen El presente artículo resulta de las discusiones sobre la perpetuada idea de estado y el empleo del método etnográfico en el estudio sobre los agentes y las instituciones estatales. Para ello se tomaron en cuenta las prácticas estatales de control fronterizo que formaron parte del proceso de cierre de fronteras llevado a cabo por agentes e instituciones que se encuentran nucleados en el Centro de Frontera Iguazú, ubicado en el lado argentino de la región transfronteriza de la Triple Frontera del Paraná. El escrito tiene un posicionamiento teórico que hace uso de la noción del estado nación como abstracción discursiva, pero, por otro lado, teniendo en cuenta que se (con)forma y se materializa por agentes e instituciones articulados entre sí, que presentan sus propias particularidades a su interior. Esto genera una ruptura con las nociones estáticas que llegan a considerar al estado como una entelequia omnipresente y homogénea.

“Burning Villages”: Leo Katz’s Novels on the 1907 Romanian Peasants’ Revolt and the Question of Antisemitism

This article explores the Jewish question in the context of the 1907 Romanian Peasants’ Revolt through the novels of the Austrian Jewish communist Leo Katz. Katz witnessed the uprising as a youth from his native village situated on the border between the Habsburg Empire, Romania, and Tsarist Russia. He wrote two novels about the revolt: one in 1940 and the other in 1946. The present study examines the violent clashes that unfolded at the border and how the writer approached the concept of antisemitism in the context of the revolt. Relying mainly on Katz’s personal papers, the article shows that Katz’s understanding of antisemitism was related to his communist beliefs. This changed following debates on antisemitism that he and other German-speaking communists had while in exile in Mexico, where Katz spent most of World War Il. Although Katz includes more details on antisemitism in his second novel, he does not address the anti-Jewish violence perpetrated by the rural masses, which is an aspect otherwise well documented by the Austro-Hungarian border authorities. Katz’s novels are the most comprehensive Jewish narratives on the 1907 Romanian Peasants’ Revolt and represent a Jewish intellectual’s struggle to make sense of the rising antisemitism in that tri-border area at the turn of the twentieth century.

Are the neglected tropical diseases under control in the tri-border region between Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay?

Implementation of prevention and control measures for communicable diseases in border regions can be challenging and lead to inefficient attempts to control them. We describe evidences on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges regarding implementation of health interventions for control, prevention and treatment of selected neglected tropical diseases (NTD), a group of transmissible diseases typically prevalent in tropical countries and vulnerable populations, in the tri-border between Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. A systematic literature review of observational and experimental studies was conducted, using PubMed and Bireme databases. Eligibility criteria were location (tri-border area) and subject (health interventions). Of a total of 595 references identified, 34 studies were included (18 pertaining to leishmaniasis, 11 to dengue, 2 to leprosy, 2 to soil-transmitted helminthiases and 1 to Chagas' disease), with an inclusion rate of 6.4%. The main strengths were the similarity of health interventions between countries and easiness of mobility and communication flows. The main weaknesses were access to rural areas and discrepancies in the number of studies between countries. As for opportunities, we identified increased tourism, economic development and recent increasing research in this field. The main challenges were the absence of studies regarding other prevalent NTD in the region and movement of goods, animals and people across borders. Although epidemiological studies are still needed to better understand and assess the prevalence of NTD in the area, mainly in Paraguay, these findings can inform decision-makers and health managers to plan a common strategy to address NTD.

Conditions for Development of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Tourism in the Border Area of the European Union: The Example of the Tri-Border Area of Poland–Belarus–Ukraine

The aim of this work is to study the conditions for developing the entrepreneurial ecosystem of regional tourism at the external border of the European Union, in Poland, and its contact points with two non-Union countries (Belarus, Ukraine). The research used a literature review, qualitative and quantitative analyses of the conditions for the development of entrepreneurial ecosystems, interviews with local ecosystem actors and the author’s own observations. The eastern border of Poland (formerly with the USSR) created a barrier to the socio-economic development of adjacent regions. Their peripheral nature has allowed preserving their precious nature value and multicultural heritage. Currently, this preservation constitutes grounds for sustainably developing the region’s tourism. The primary actors of the tourism-based entrepreneurial ecosystem are local governments, public institutions, non-governmental organisations and entrepreneurs. An impetus for activities thereof was granted by Poland’s accession to the EU and its access to Union funds, which has reinforced tourism infrastructure by contributing to the establishment of new tourism enterprises. Furthermore, the development of tourism in the region could also be favoured by the close neighbourhood of as many as two other countries; however, and unfortunately, the border is still a barrier. Apart from the lack of infrastructure allowing borders crossings, political instability in neighbouring countries—made explicitly visible at the border with Belarus in 2021—threatens border-driven tourism by restricting tourism entrepreneurship, especially in those activities based on the access to the border.

A gestão pública da Covid-19 nas fronteiras brasileiras. O caso do município de Foz do Iguaçu

This article address the public management of the municipality of Foz de Iguacu to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the economic and social implications generated by these policies in the Parana Tri-Border Area. This is a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive research, which used the inductive analysis method. We analyzed municipal public instruments formulated in the period from March to July of 2020 and local and national journalistic sources. From the study carried out, some preliminar conclusions can be reached: in the case of border territories, the Pandemic has made historical social inequalities visible and potentialized;local public policies have not taken into account the particularities of the border territory and not even the voices and bodies that inhabit it, which ends up making the cross-border population even more vulnerable.

Carrying the Family in the Body: Family Trajectories of Paraguayan Women in the Paraná Tri-Border Area

This article discusses the results of ethnographic case studies on female cross-border experiences in the Paraná Tri-Border Area (between Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay) conducted in 2018 and 2019. Reclaiming the life histories of thirty Paraguayan women, we will analyze the tensions that lie between family trajectories, female transgenerational acquisition of cultural and social capitals, rural-urban and transborder mobility, and labor insertion. Our analysis will explore more in-depth the impact that productive and reproductive work overloads have on different generations of women who share family bonds, showing how their care responsibilities are intrinsically related to their agency strategies.

Role of Stigmatization in International Perception of the Triple Frontier Between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay

Introduction. The article studies the Triple Frontier – a Tri-Border Area along the junction of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. The main aim is to analyze the reasons for its perception as an ‘outlaw territory’, the term generally associated with the terrorist threat. Methods and Materials. Stigmatization theory, symbolic interactionism and securitization theory serve as a theoretical and methodological basis for the research. The main sources for the analysis are official reports, communiques, interviews, and publications in leading periodicals. Analysis. The article analyzes the formation of international perception of the Triple Frontier since the mid1990s. It highlights objective and subjective grounds for the negative image that has been created to date; defines the mechanisms exploited by the United States to stigmatize the region and the reasons for selective securitization of threats emanating from there. According to the authors, the Triple Frontier is characterized by a complex set of relationships between multiple stakeholders. Their diverse and often contradictory interests form a convergent-divergent space which affects security of local residents, security of Latin American countries, and, to a certain extent, international security in general. Results. In the final part of the article the main scientific results obtained during the research are formulated, and possible ways of further development regarding this case are outlined. The authors conclude that to destigmatize the Triple Frontier it is necessary to rebrand it – to create a new, positive image, taking advantage of the geopolitical and geo-economic situation, as well as the availability of unique water resources.

Path dependence in the Tri-Border Area

ABSTRACT Approaching the triple border between Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay from the perspective of path dependence, this article analyzes how a trajectory, started in the 1950s, determined the existence of some elements that define the characteristics of the triple border in the 21st century. As a theoretical basis, historical institutionalism is used as an analysis strategy, the following elements are present in the analytical structure of the path dependence: critical juncture, path-broken, self-reinforcing, lock-in. We conclude that the critical situation occurred when Paraguay strengthened its relationship with Brazil in the 1950s, with actions to reinforce their trajectory in the 1960s and 1970s, with institutional lock-in taking place in the 1980s and 1990s.

Políticas cooperativas de segurança e combate ao crime organizado na Tríplice Fronteira

ABSTRACT This article is an analysis of the cooperative security initiatives developed by Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay in the period beginning in 1996, with the establishment of the “Agreement on Security and Ease of Transit of the Tri-border Area,” until 2016. For this purpose, a brief historical background on the transnationalization of organized crime in the region of the tri-border area was made, and in the following section, an analysis of the main policies, agreements and security actions of these countries, considering mainly those aimed at reducing organized crime activities in border regions. From this analysis, it was possible to understand which factors influenced the decision-making of these countries, such as the strong U.S. presence and antiterrorist discourse, the mutual mistrust generated by cases of corruption in police institutions and border control, and social weaknesses still present on the tri-border area. It was also discussed who were the main parastatal actors involved in the process of elaborating the cooperative actions.

Challenges of Cross-Border Cooperation: The Initiative of Trilateral Goričko–Raab–Őrség Nature Park

The trajectories of social actions comprising nature conservation and regional economic development in the Slovenian-Austrian-Hungarian tri-border area discussed in this paper are closely linked to the landscape of the Slovenian-Austrian-Hungarian border. Processual understanding bounds landscape to human activities and other non-human agents, all of whom constitute the landscape-in-the-making. The Őrség National Park and Goričko Landscape Park, as designated nature reserves, are subject to human influences through their protection and, as intrinsically objects of human agency, are rich sites of social production and interaction. The cross-border initiative of the Trilateral Goričko–Raab–Őrség Nature Park is analyzed through the politics of European integration and territorial cooperation in the peripheral regions and their financial programs. Through field research and interviews with social actors, the complexity of the obstacles that hinder the functioning and effective management of the actions of the proposed Trilateral Nature Park initiative and the ambivalent attitude of the inhabitants towards the actions of the three parks is observed.

A The Tri-Border Area of Parana and COVID-19: A Tale Of Two Bridges in the South American Hinterland

During the COVID-19 lockdown, at night on the stretch of the Parana River that goes from the Ponte Internacional da Amizade (International Friendship Bridge) south to the geographic trifinium, where the river splits and three borders meet, the sound of outboard motors and gunfire has intensified. Seven-and-a-half miles (twelve kilometres) of border space separate Brazil from Paraguay in South America’s hinterland. Since 1965, the main transversal gates of a long-shared border of 848 miles (1,364 kilometres) are located on both sides of the Amizade Bridge. In 2020, during the pandemic, work on a second bridge, started the previous year, was intensified. This essay focuses on the study of the border space between both infrastructures: the old and the new.

The Securitization of the Tri-Border Area between Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay

Abstract The purpose of this study is to identify the main features of the US discourse regarding the Tri-Border Area between Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay through the analysis of 16 editions of the Patterns of Global Terrorism and of the Country Reports on Terrorism published from 2001-2016. Securitization theory is applied to explain the use of speech acts as movements to securitize the region. After employing NVivo to measure the frequency of words, a strong link between the rise of the financial semantic field and clashes in the Middle East were observed. The fact that the reports had a special emphasis regarding legislation on terrorism in the three countries was also detected.

Dialécticas de la oportunidad. Estrategias femeninas de movilidad, cuidado y protección social entre Paraguay y Brasil

<div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="section"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span>Este artículo aborda las experiencias transfronterizas de mujeres paraguayas en los territorios de la Triple-Frontera del Paraná. Partiremos de la discusión metodológica del estudio, su diseño muestral y los tres campos teóricos que lo respaldan. Posteriormente, presentaremos el contexto de la Triple-Frontera, describiendo las condiciones de vida de las mujeres paraguayas y sus posibilidades de acceso a la protección social. Abordando los resultados etnográficos, definiremos los perfiles de mujeres identificados, en particular los de aquellas que están expuestas a mayores vulneraciones. Retomaremos sus relatos para mostrar cómo la sobrecarga productiva/reproductiva impulsa sus desplazamientos fronterizos. Asimismo, discutiremos cómo la construcción de redes comunitarias de cuidado, juntamente con la búsqueda de protección social constituyen agencias femeninas transfronterizas. </span>Finalizamos explicitando cómo la frontera constituye oportunidades dialécticas para las mujeres.</p></div></div></div></div>

The Problem of Organized Crime in the South American Tri-Border Area: Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina

The paper shows mechanisms and manifestations of the challenges for the security in the South American Tri-Border Area (Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina). It analyses the background of the activity of chosen organized crime and terrorist groups in this region. The article refers to some social and economic conditions for the spread of violence and illegal business in the area. It is focused on the most important dimensions of these problems and on the strategy implemented by South American governments to fight and prevent organized crime. The paper shows how the security forces deal with the threat and evaluate the impact of these efforts.

Prospects for multi-level governance of maritime security in the Sulu-Celebes Sea: lessons from the Baltic Sea region

ABSTRACT This paper assesses the prospects for the implementation of multi-level governance of maritime security in the Sulu-Celebes Sea Tri-Border Area, noting the interdependencies within its terrestrial-maritime environments. It draws on the lessons of multi-level governance practices in the Baltic Sea region. A multi-level governance framework of maritime security in the Baltic Sea region is elaborated to identify the key characteristics of multi-level governance that are important prerequisites for an integrated (land-sea) nexus in maritime security management. Through the examination of the functionality of these characteristics in the Sulu-Celebes Sea, the paper discusses the implications of the existence, and or the lack, of these main characteristics of a functional multi-level governance and assesses the prospects of such governance within the Sulu-Celebes Sea. The ‘common seas’ nature of the semi-enclosed sea and the entanglement of transboundary, land-maritime dimensions of the maritime security challenges imply the need for a distinct form of governance, for which the Baltic Sea region can provide lessons learnt.

Prevalence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, amongst inmates of the Preventive Reclusion Center in Arica

Sex workers, people with drug addiction, early onset of sexual activity population, and criminal population, are considered the groups most at risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs). To determine the prevalence of infection by Neisseria gonorrhoeae in inmates of the Preventive Detention Center (CDP) at Arica and Parinacota Region, Chile. The Scientific Ethical Committee of Universidad de Tarapacá approved this study. 140 inmates participated, who voluntarily agreed to be part of the study and signed an informed consent. A sample of urethral meatus was taken to investigate N. gonorrhoeae, and an epidemiological survey was applied, which included age, drug use, overcrowding, among others. The prevalence of the agent was 16.4% in inmates of the Arica CDP, a result lower than that reported in other similar studies. Knowing the reality of the prevalence of this STI and some risk factors associated with the situation of deprivation of freedom in a tri-border area of northern Chile, contributes to the proposals for prevention programs in this vulnerable and at-risk population.

Tick-borne pathogens in carthorses from Foz do Iguaçu City, Paraná State, southern Brazil: A tri-border area of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina

Tick-borne diseases (TBD) constitute an important group of illness affecting animals and humans worldwide. In Brazil, carthorses are frequently exposed to ticks and tick-borne pathogens, leading to impairment of horse performance and imposing restrictions by the international veterinary authorities for the importation of horses. Accordingly, this study has aimed to i) determine the prevalence of the TBD agents Theileria equi, Babesia caballi, Ehrlichia spp., and hemotropic mycoplasmas in carthorses, ii) identify the tick species parasitizing the animals, and iii) determine factors associated with exposure/infection in Foz do Iguaçu City, Parana state, southern Brazil. A total of 103 carthorses were screened for anti-T. equi and anti-Ehrlichia spp. antibodies by indirect fluorescent antibody assays (IFA). Samples were also tested by PCR assays targeting the 18S rRNA gene of T. equi and B. caballi, and 16S rRNA gene of hemoplasmas. Additionally, PCR assays targeting the 16S rRNA, disulfide bond formation protein (dsb) and tandem repeat proteins 36 (trp36) genes of Ehrlichia spp. were also performed. Antibodies to T. equi and Ehrlichia spp. were detected in 43/103 (41.75%; 95% CI: 32.10–51.88%) and 5/103 (4.85%; 95% CI: 1.59–10.97%) horses by IFA, respectively. DNA of T. equi and B. caballi were found in 25/103 (24.27%; 95% CI: 16.36–33.71%) and 10/103 (9.71%; 95% CI: 4.75–17.13%) carthorses, respectively, and all tested negative for Ehrlichia spp. and hemoplasmas. All sequences showed ≥99% identity with multiple T. equi and B. caballi 18S rRNA gene sequences deposited in GenBank. Overall, 191 Dermacentor nitens ticks were collected from 25/103 (24.27%) animals. Carthorses older than 5 years were more likely to be positive for T. equi (p < 0.05). In conclusion, equine piroplasmosis agents are highly prevalent in carthorses from Foz do Iguaçu City. The low prevalence of Ehrlichia spp. found may be due to the absence of Amblyomma ticks infesting animals, which should be further investigated.

The Indebted Wage: Putting Financial Products to Work in Paraguay's Tri-Border Area

Author has suggested this pub be associated with her DECRA grant: 'Insurance: using anthropology of finance to study disaster relief'.