A new security threat is capturing the attention of top Bush administration officials in charge of Latin American affairs: the proliferation of ''ungoverned spaces'' or ''lawless areas'' in the region. I heard these terms for the first time recently, when U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made a passing reference to ''ungoverned zones'' during a speech at a regional meeting of defense ministers in Santiago, Chile, in November. Rumsfeld mentioned such areas as one of several threats to hemispheric security. At the time, I didn't know what he meant, and -- quite frankly -- I didn't care much. I have long...