As it is well known, in the post'cold war context, the concept of security has been reformulated, abarcating a wider spectrum. Along with military subjects, it aludes so to the manteinance of order, as to peace cooperation. Peace keeping seems to be a principal challenge to international relations, in a context with threats and risks as nacionalism, economic breachs and arms proliferation.

Confidence building measures (CBM´s) has a relevant role in this context. In Latin America, and particullarly in the Southern Cone -where distrust and conflict hypothesis have dominated relationships between States-, CBM´s have a wide range to be developed.

However, the settlement of CBM's and another political measures in this region, may face the reluctance to deeper security relationships, and distrust about the other nations intentions. For instance, in 1997, there was an increasing alert about the security issues, in order to the arms sales to Chile, the Argentine status of Major Non Nato Allie, and the Brazilian possible membership in the UN Security Council.

The Southern Cone is building an integration process (Mercosur), where Argentina and Brazil are main partners. Chile has expressed its will to belong to this process, and it is seen as a necessary partner so by Argentina as by Brazil. This process needs to be sustained by a mutual trust environment, facilitating investments and comercial relationships. Mainly between Argentina and Chile, threat perceptions may dominate the integration scene, as it has been seen in the Continental Ices diferendum.

A common challenge facing these recent democracies is the difficulty of access to information and a major extended exchange over security and defense matters. Publications are difficult to obtain, and dissemination of information is limited to a relatively minor group of politicians, armed forces´s members, and academics. Despite the known linkage between democracy and peace, this is not a certain assesment in these countries, and have to be strengthened. One of the critical ways of doing so, is by extending the access to information. In establishing a higher mutual trust and eliminating tension's causes, practioners and academic need information ranging from defense legislation and organizational issues of armed forces, to figures about military budgets, literature about CBM's, or media news about the most important security and defense issues in each country.

So, one of the most important issues to this process is not only transparency but availableness of information. For decades, South American countries have moved in a "lack of information" scenario, and still today is difficult to access to other countries information so to research, to make agencies´s analysis, or even to make an official decision. Argentina and Chile, by example, are dealing with the "Continental Ices" diferendum, in a context where the other country's view is not always reflected in the national media. Similar difficulties are faced by academic or decision makers who want to get information about arms sales, military expenses, armed forces's structure, or legislative projects.

The purpose of this project, sustained by the Solicited Grant Program of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and Seguridad Estratégica Regional (SER en el 2000), with the Nucleo de Estudios Estratégicos de la Universidad de Campinas and the Instituto de Ciencia Política de la Universidad de Chile as collaborating institutions, is to make use of new technologies such the Internet, to enhance communications and to facilitate a major dissemination of national information. As virtual diplomacy, it intends to strengh conflict prevention and to help to a better understanding in the Southern Cone.

This project proposes two ways of this exploitation:

- development of a Database on Defense and Confidence Building, containing main information from the subregion and from each country, and - a discussion forum to enhance communication between the main academic and political actors.

ABOUT THE DATABASE

- The database is built over two principal thematic areas: subregional security, and national defense. - All the information is classified by :

* title

* author

* date of publication

* language

* subject

* source

* type of document

* key words

The users may always find this data in each file they acceed to. Each document is classified according to the nomenclator, and to several key words, no more than 15, freely associated to the document.

- The Database allows three type of search: by nomenclator, by key words, or by hypertext. The nomenclator will be as follows (we suggest you to print it):

1. SUBREGIONAL SECURITY
1.1 THEORETICAL FRAME

1.1.1. Theories and Concepts

1.1.2. Debates

1.2 SECURITY ASPECTS

1.2.1. Organisms

1.2.2. Regimes, mechanisms and treaties

1.2.3. Risks and threats

1.2.4. Conflicts. Diferendums

1.2.5. Disarmament

1.2.6. Non Proliferation

1.2.7. Cooperation and Confidence Building Measures

1.2.8. Human Rights

1.2.9. Armaments Production and Adquisitions

1.2.10. Narcotrafficking

1.2.11. Terrorism / Guerrilla

1.2.12. Activities and Other issues

2. ARGENTINA NATIONAL DEFENSE

2.1. CONCEPTUAL FRAME

2.1.1. Theories and concepts

2.1.2. Debates

2.1.3. Policies and strategies

2.1.4. Risks and threats

2.2. NORMATIVE ASPECTS

2.2.1. Constitutional Norms

2.2.2. Laws

2.2.3. Decrees

2.2.4. Resolution

2.2.5. Treaties

2.2.6. Agreements

2.2.7. Convenants

2.3. DEFENSE POLICY

2.3.1. Military policy

2.3.2. Personnel

2.3.3. Logistics

2.3.4. Intelligence

2.3.5. Education

2.3.6. Social Communication

2.3.7. Budget

2.3.8. Research and Development

2.3.9. Production

2.3.10. Procurement of middles

2.3.11. Defense Service

2.3.12. Regional Security Policy

2.3.13. International Security Policy

2.3.14. Activities and Other issues

2.4. ARMED FORCES

2.4.1. Missions

2.4.2. Structure

2.4.3. Deployment

2.4.4. Armament Systems

2.4.5. Command and Control

2.4.6. Recruitment

2.4.7. Activities and Other issues

3. BRAZIL NATIONAL DEFENSE

3.1. CONCEPTUAL FRAME

3.1.1. Theories and concepts

3.1.2. Debates

3.1.3. Policies and strategies

3.1.4. Risks and threats

3.2. NORMATIVE ASPECTS

3.2.1. Constitutional Norms

3.2.2. Laws

3.2.3. Decrees

3.2.4. Resolution

3.2.5. Treaties

3.2.6. Agreements

3.2.7. Convenants

3.3. DEFENSE POLICY

3.3.1. Military policy

3.3.2. Personnel

3.3.3. Logistics

3.3.4. Intelligence

3.3.5. Education

3.3.6. Social Communication

3.3.7. Budget

3.3.8. Research and Development

3.3.9. Production

3.3.10. Procurement of middles

3.3.11. Defense Service

3.3.12. Regional Security Policy

3.3.13. International Security Policy

3.3.14. Activities and Other issues

3.4. ARMED FORCES

3.4.1. Missions

3.4.2. Structure

3.4.3. Deployment

3.4.4. Armament Systems

3.4.5. Command and Control

3.4.6. Recruitment

3.4.7. Activities and Other issues

4. CHILE NATIONAL DEFENSE

4.1. CONCEPTUAL FRAME

4.1.1. Theories and concepts

4.1.2. Debates

4.1.3. Policies and strategies

4.1.4. Risks and threats

4.2. NORMATIVE ASPECTS

4.2.1. Constitutional Norms

4.2.2. Laws

4.2.3. Decrees

4.2.4. Resolution

4.2.5. Treaties

4.2.6. Agreements

4.2.7. Convenants

4.3. DEFENSE POLICY

4.3.1. Military policy

4.3.2. Personnel

4.3.3. Logistics

4.3.4. Intelligence

4.3.5. Education

4.3.6. Social Communication

4.3.7. Budget

4.3.8. Research and Development

4.3.9. Production

4.3.10. Procurement of middles

4.3.11. Defense Service

4.3.12. Regional Security Policy

4.3.13. International Security Policy

4.3.14. Activities and Other issues

4.4. ARMED FORCES

4.4.1. Missions

4.4.2. Structure

4.4.3. Deployment

4.4.4. Armament Systems

4.4.5. Command and Control

4.4.6. Recruitment

4.4.7. Activities and Other issues

- The Database also contains different pages dedicated to:

- Links with institutions and organisms related to the security and defense issues.

- News reports

- Distinctive documents, outstanding because its concepts or the generated debate.