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72. Gangs, Drugs, Terrorism— and Information-sharing
- Author:
- Greg Gardner and Robert Killebrew
- Publication Date:
- 08-2009
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Academy of Political Science
- Abstract:
- The conflict in Mexico between the government and criminal drug cartels has been in the news lately, particularly because of the horrific levels of violence and its proximity to our border. The U.S. Government is increasingly concerned, and President Barack Obama has turned to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for options to provide timely support to Mexico. But the “cartel war” in Mexico, which is increasingly spilling into the United States, is just the latest, most visible indicator of steadily deteriorating civil order south of the border.
- Topic:
- Crime, Terrorism, War on Drugs, Counterinsurgency, and Narcotics Trafficking
- Political Geography:
- United States, Latin America, and Mexico
73. The Invisible Tide: Towards an International Strategy to Deal with Drug Trafficking Through West Africa
- Author:
- Phil Williams and James Cockayne
- Publication Date:
- 10-2009
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- International Peace Institute (IPI)
- Abstract:
- An invisible tide is rising on the shores of West Africa, creeping into its slums, its banks, its courts, its barracks, and its government ministries. It is a tide of money, influence, and power, born from the drug trafficking that is sweeping the region. Cocaine produced in Latin America is transported to West Africa, and then on to Europe. From there, the proceeds find their way back to North and South America, fueling further investment and further narco-trafficking. Some of the profits from the trade stay in West Africa, laundered through construction projects and other avenues, and increasingly corrupting politics, society, and security institutions. As the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Antonio Maria Costa, recently put it: “Drug money is not only buying real estate and flashy cars: it is buying power.”
- Topic:
- Crime and Narcotics Trafficking
- Political Geography:
- Africa and West Africa
74. Governing Khat Drugs and Democracy in Somaliland
- Author:
- Peter Hansen
- Publication Date:
- 10-2009
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
- Abstract:
- This paper examines the role of the mild stimulant khat in the economic and political transformation of the independent, yet internationally unrecognized Republic of Somaliland. Rather than seeing khat as a hindrance for nation-state formation and as a developmental problem, the paper argues that khat has been important to the economic viability of Somaliland and to the formation of political practices and identities. In this sense, khat should be seen not only as a drug contributing to violence, state failure and inadequate development, but also as underpinning economic processes, political identities and societal structures that have been crucial to the formation and political success of Somaliland. The paper adds to our understanding of the links between emerging political and economic orders in a post-conflict society.
- Topic:
- Economics, Peace Studies, Political Economy, Narcotics Trafficking, and Fragile/Failed State
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Somalia
75. Bandits, Borderlands and Opium Wars: Afghan State-building Viewed from the Margins
- Author:
- Jonathan Goodhand
- Publication Date:
- 11-2009
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
- Abstract:
- This paper explores the linkages between the drugs economy, borderlands and 'post conflict' state-building in Afghanistan. It does this through a fine grained historical analysis of Sheghnan, a remote district on the Afghan-Tajik border in the north-east. The paper charts the opening and closing of the border; the movement of people, commodities and ideas across the border; the effects of changing political regimes; the role of resources and their effects on local governance; and the complex, multifaceted networks that span the border and are involved in the drugs trade. The paper argues that the drugs economy has been an important part of the story of borderland transformation in Sheghnan. Because of drugs, borderlands are no longer marginal, but have become a resource to be exploited by the centre. As such the paper argues that examining the frontier may throw light on processes of state formation, state collapse and 'post conflict' state-building. A focus on borderlands means taking seriously the 'politics of place' and examining the diffuse dynamics and localised projects that feed into and shape processes of state formation.
- Topic:
- Cold War, Economics, War, and Narcotics Trafficking
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan
76. Uribe's Possible Third Term and Conflict Resolution
- Publication Date:
- 12-2009
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- Colombia's efforts to resolve its half-century armed conflict and growing tensions with neighbours will be shaped by the decision on whether to change the constitution to enable President Álvaro Uribe to seek a second re-election in May 2010. This issue has dominated Colombian politics for over a year. Most appear to back a third term, seeing Uribe as the only politician with the credibility and capacity to maintain security gains and broaden economic well-being after August, when his mandate ends. His supporters believe he has demonstrated strong leadership in times of escalating regional tensions, especially with Venezuela and Ecuador. Others fear another change in the constitution and four more years of Uribe's rule will further weaken democratic judicial and legislative institutions and essential checks and balances. They warn that the process of enabling a second consecutive re-election has been plagued by irregularities and allegations of corruption and that a third term could result in continuation of a too narrow security strategy focused on elusive final military defeat of the insurgent FARC and ELN.
- Topic:
- Political Violence, Insurgency, and Narcotics Trafficking
- Political Geography:
- Latin America
77. Contending with the PKK's Narco-Terrorism
- Author:
- Matthew Levitt and Benjamin Freedman
- Publication Date:
- 12-2009
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
- Abstract:
- On December 8, the United Nations Security Council will host its first-ever thematic debate on drug trafficking as a threat to international security. This focus is notable. U.S. officials are increasingly concerned with the evolving threat of drug trafficking, especially as terrorist organizations stake a bigger claim in this illegal arena. In fact, on November 18, FBI director Robert Mueller met with senior Turkish officials to address U.S.-Turkish efforts targeting the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), also known as Kongra-Gel. A press release from the U.S. embassy in Ankara following the meeting stressed that U.S. officials "strongly support Turkey's efforts against the PKK terrorist organization" and highlighted the two countries' long history of working together in the fight against terrorism and transnational organized crime.
- Topic:
- Ethnic Conflict, Terrorism, and Narcotics Trafficking
- Political Geography:
- United States, Turkey, Middle East, and Asia
78. Drug Use in Nigeria
- Author:
- Roger Bate, Richard Tren, Thompson Ayodele, Kimberly Hess, and Olusegun Sotola
- Publication Date:
- 08-2009
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
- Abstract:
- For decades, Nigeria has been plagued by counterfeit and poor-quality medicines, yet little information exists on the extent to which healthcare personnel are aw are of counterfeit and substandard medicines, and how this influences their behavior.
- Topic:
- Crime, War on Drugs, and Narcotics Trafficking
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Nigeria
79. Building the Capacity to Address the Nation's Drug Problems
- Publication Date:
- 11-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA)
- Abstract:
- The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) was established by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 and has been reauthorized numerous times over the years by Congress. It is a component of the Executive Office of the President (EOP) and currently has 106 employees.
- Topic:
- Economics, National Security, Narcotics Trafficking, and Reform
80. U.S. and Colombia: A Growing Military Intervention?
- Author:
- Jenny Manrique Cortes
- Publication Date:
- 12-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- MIT Center for International Studies
- Abstract:
- Colombia is one of the closest friends of American foreign policy. A country of 44 million, Colombia has been fighting for years against two scourges that have turned into primordial interests for the US: drug trafficking and terrorism.
- Topic:
- Terrorism, Military Strategy, Narcotics Trafficking, Military Intervention, and Drugs
- Political Geography:
- Colombia and South America