Perceptions of human rights and ethics in the training among military leaders: The case of Latin American leaders at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation.

Abstract

The United States Army has been training ethics, human rights and democracy to Latin American military and civilian personnel, in the past, through the School of the Americas and lately, in the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC).

The purpose of this study was to examine ethics, human rights and democracy in the context of the Latin American soldiers, police officers and civilian students attending The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC). Eight Latin American Officers and Noncommissioned officers were the focus of the study. A qualitative methodology research was used to investigate the perceptions held by the students attending The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC) located at Fort Benning, Georgia, regarding ethics, human rights and democratic principles.