Ongoing projects

Considering the debate around a maximalist versus a more limited or minimalist concept of human security, the purpose of this project is to develop a reflection on the symbiotic relationship that should exist between security and development. Considering the specificities of Mexican society, which needs security but also requires development, this project is aimed at proposing a new methodology for analyzing international and national security and proposing measures to reverse the threats, risks and vulnerabilities that compromise stability and social progress. The pandemic generated by SARSCoV2, the causal agent of COVID-19, corroborates the importance of transcending from a hard security, focused on traditional aspects of security, to a humanized, democratic and multidimensional security under the protection of the reconciliation of security and development. 

In the common imaginary, intelligence work is surrounded by a halo of mysticism and attractiveness, a product of the portrayal of it in literature and cinematography. However, intelligence work involves many efforts, some of which remain unknown to ordinary citizens. In democratic societies, the secrecy of intelligence should not prevent accountability, and the current international complexity has made intelligence services no longer indispensable only for States and their cycles are no longer limited only to security aspects. In order to preserve the necessary secrecy of intelligence work in a democracy, it is necessary that in the collective imaginary the idea of intelligence is rooted as an accepted pattern inside and outside the governmental instances, if this original idea does not exist, it is necessary to develop it and the most organic way to achieve it is through a public discussion. This is known as Intelligence Culture: the set of knowledge that a society should have about the need, mission and functions of an intelligence service, so that it perceives as useful and appropriate the issues related to its security, its freedom and the defense of its interests. The objective of this project is to contribute to the consolidation of the Intelligence Culture in Mexico, promoting an open interaction between the governmental intelligence community, the academy and the companies, in order to generate reciprocal beneficial dynamics.   

The international economic recession and the current health crisis are recognized as problems that are difficult to solve, given that the most powerful countries are unable to coordinate policies to reactivate the economy and mitigate the contagion of the current pandemic, and the so-called emerging economies lack the capacity and influence necessary to lead initiatives that would give certainty to international economic relations. Unemployment, lack of credit, changes in the supply and demand of goods and services, and the dismal distribution of income are just some of the issues that have a direct impact on the well-being of the world's societies and give rise to risks and vulnerabilities that could eventually lead to the strengthening of threats to the security of nations. 

The concept of Human Security, established by the United Nations General Assembly, seeks to achieve a world free of fear, misery and lack of dignity. In this sense, we cannot aspire to a world with these characteristics if half of the population does not enjoy equal opportunities. The empowerment of women should be considered a basic condition for human development and sustainable development, since their activity has a direct impact on areas ranging from poverty eradication, food security and education, among others. Since the 1970s, the United Nations has recognized the importance of women's participation in all public and private spheres. Later, the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action called for the incorporation of a gender perspective in all public institutions and policies. Since these mechanisms, there have been important advances in the development of international legal instruments aimed at improving the status of women, and although the States have made efforts to coordinate their domestic policies with the international agenda in this area, there is still a long way to go to put them into practice and make them effective. In the current situation, with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the participation of women has been fundamental. In addition to representing more than 70% of the medical personnel (between doctors and nurses), in the private sector, women have been forced to assume greater responsibilities, negatively impacting what is known as the economy of care, to the extent that some specialists fear a setback in the achievements already obtained. This project is based on the idea that gender equality is fundamental for human development, for the eradication of poverty and violence, and for guaranteeing human security.