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The Triple Frontier (Spanish: La Triple Frontera, Portuguese: Tríplice Fronteira) is a tri-border area along the junction of Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil, where the Iguazú and Paraná rivers converge. Near the convergence are the cities of Ciudad del Este, Alto Paraná; Puerto Iguazú, Misiones and Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná. This area is near Iguazú Falls and the Itaipú hydroelectric plant.
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[edit] Population
The population in the Triple Frontier is concentrated in three border cities. Of these, the largest is Ciudad del Este in Paraguay, which in 2001 had a population of 240,000, while the smallest with a population of 28,100 is Puerto Iguazú, Argentina. The tourist-centric Brazilian city Foz do Iguaçu has a population of 190,000. The Arab and other Asian immigrant communities, which make up an important part of the urban population in the Tri-Border Area, are estimated to number approximately 50,000.[1]
[edit] Tourism
The Triple Frontier is an important tourist area, within the touristic subregion of the Región de las Aguas Grandes. Visitors can see the Tancredo Neves bridge, which connects the Argentine city of Puerto Iguazú and its Brazilian neighbor, Foz do Iguaçu. At the convergence of the borders, each of the three bordering countries has erected an obelisk, painted in the national colors of the country in which it is located. All three countries can be seen from each of the obelisks.
[edit] Controversy
The particular geography of the border region makes it very difficult to monitor, facilitating and promoting organized crime and the illicit activities connected with it.[2]
In 2002, and again in 2006, the United States Treasury Department mentioned in a memo that there are "clear examples" of Islamic groups in the region that "finance terrorist activities". Groups like Egypt's al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and Al Qaeda are believed to draw some of their funding from activities in the Triple Frontier.[3] The Paraguayan side of the Triple Frontier could be serving as a haven for terrorist operations as that nation has no anti-terrorism laws. Thus, financially contributing to terrorist organizations is not punishable by law. Suspected terrorists are instead apprehended under tax evasion and other charges of similar nature.
The Guarani Aquifer is arguably the biggest reservoir of fresh, potable water in the world - right under Triple Border soil (Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay). The majority (71%) of its 1.2 million square kilometers lies in Brazil. According to the United Nations, by 2025 worldwide demand for potable water will be 56% higher than what will be on offer.
In response to the situation, a military training agreement with Asunción (Paraguay), giving immunity to US soldiers, caused some concern after media reports initially reported that a base housing 20,000 US soldiers was being built at Mariscal Estigarribia.[4] Paraguay approved the entry in May 2006 of 400 US soldiers "for joint military exercises, such as programs on fighting urban terrorists, public security and humanitarian assistance," according to the Washington Post. However, in October 2006 Paraguay decided not to renew such immunity from prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC).[5]
On 16 June, the governments of the three nations stated they would set up a joint intelligence centre in Foz do Iguaçú specifically to monitor the situation.[6]
[edit] In popular culture
- The Triple Frontier (or here referenced as the Tri-Border Area) is featured as the backdrop for the NCIS episode "An Eye for an Eye", as NCIS Special Agents Anthony DiNozzo and Caitlin Todd must travel down to this area of southern Paraguay in order to investigate a professor involved in a case in which a pair of blue eyeballs were mailed to a murder victim.
- The Triple Frontier is also featured as the location for The Unit episode "The Kill Zone", where Unit operators must rescue a member of their counterpart team, (Team Charlie) during a hostage situation.
- In the Vince Flynn novel Extreme Measures, a terrorist group funded by al-Qaeda trains and plans to execute terrorist attacks on America while living in the Triple Frontier.
- In the 2006 movie version of Miami Vice, a notorious drug lord is tracked down the Americas by detectives Sonny Crockett and Rico Tubbs to his hideout in the Tri-Border Area.
- Featured in the Human Target episode "The Return of Baptiste", as the location where a kidnapped reporter is held by a crime lord. The accents and geography shown in the episode are inaccurate for this region.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Paraguay's Ciudad del Este and the New Centers of Gravity". Foreign Military Studies Office. April, 2002. http://frso.loeaveworth.army.mil/documents/paraguay/paraguay.htm. Retrieved April 2006.
- ^ Cristiana Brafman Kittner, "The Role of Safe Havens in Islamist Terrorism", The Journal of Terrorism and Political Violence, September 2007.
- ^ Jeffrey Goldberg, "In the Party of God", Part 2 of 2, The New Yorker, 28 October 2002.
- ^ US Marines put a foot in Paraguay, El Clarín, September 9, 2005 (Spanish).
- ^ Paraguay Hardens U.S. Military Stance, The Washington Post, October 10, 2006
- ^ Agency to monitor tri-border area, BBC, August 17, 2005.
[edit] External links
- CNBC Trish-Regan's Diary From a Dangerous Place
- CNBC In Paraguay Piracy Bleeds US Profits Aids Terrorists
- Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting Clouds Over Iguaçu (Video)
- South America's regional centre for illegal activities Jane's Intelligence Review, 26 September 2006
Coordinates: 25°35′33″S 054°35′35″W / 25.5925°S 54.59306°W
