Desmond Arias

Enrique Desmond Arias is a Professor at Baruch College, CUNY, specializing in security and politics in Latin America and the Caribbean. His research examines criminal governance, violence in democratic societies, and security policies. Arias has authored several influential books including Criminal Enterprises and Governance in Latin America and the Caribbean and Drugs and Democracy in Rio de Janeiro.

His research interests include comparative analysis of armed groups' political influence, security policy, and democratic governance challenges in violence-prone regions. Arias has consulted for major international organizations including the UN Development Programme, UN Office on Drugs and Crime, and authored the UN's Introductory Handbook on Policing Urban Space.