Terrorist Threat in the Tri-Border Area: Myth or Reality?

Latin America's Tri-Border Area (TBA), bounded
by Puerto Iguazu, Argentina; Ciudad del Este,
Paraguay; and Foz do Iguacu, Brazil, is an ideal
breeding ground for terrorist groups. The TBA
is a lawless area of illicit activities that
generate billions of dollars annually in money
laundering, arms and drug trafficking, counterfeiting,
document falsification, and piracy. The TBA offers
terrorists potential financing; access to illegal weapons
and advanced technologies; easy movement and concealment;
and a sympathetic population from which to recruit new
members and spread global messages. While the TBA is
not currently the center of gravity in the Global War on
Terrorism (GWOT), it has an important place in the
strategy for combating terrorism.