دانلود کتاب تجارت غیرقانونی مواد مخدر و امنیت جهانی

This book discusses trends in drug trafficking and organized crime as a threat to international security and stability. These networks control vast swaths of territory in Mexico, Colombia, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Nigeria, South Africa, Benin, and other fragile states. Some of these groups pose a significant challenge to state sovereignty, operating freely in zones within these countries. Further, criminal actors in some of these aforementioned states operate as de facto authorities and implement their own rules, often referred to as criminal governance. Regardless of efforts by major states like the United States and members of the European Union, some drug trafficking networks boast a global presence. Drug traffickers are thus free to operate, and their wealth allows them to possess military power that sometimes rivals states. This presents a clear and present danger to the security of many states in the international system.

This book offers students of international security the opportunity to study drug trafficking from the lens of international relations theory. Theories are lenses that help explain and understand global phenomena. Realism, Liberalism, Marxism, and Social constructivism all aim to provide clarity to global problems. One theory alone cannot make sense of organized crime and drug trafficking, and how states respond to these security threats. Together, however, these theories provide students with clearer vision, acting as lenses to view the world. Understanding drug trafficking and organized crime requires one to focus on levels of analysis and utilize different theoretical perspectives.

This book serves as a primer, introducing students, undergraduate and graduate alike, to various trends in drug trafficking and organized crime. It focuses on understanding the evolution of drug trafficking and organized crime. It provides textboxes to help tell the story of real people and their lives in this illegal business. The chapters summarize trends by creating several graphs and maps to help the readers visualize the changes over time. Indeed, organized crime has only gotten worse with time. The global demand for drugs has increased since President Richard Nixon declared the “war on drugs” in 1971. Drugs are now cheaper and more addictive than the 1970s. It is approximately a trillion dollars in size amounting to an estimated 1.5% of global gross domestic product (GDP). These trillions of dollars go toward weapons that chal-lenge the sovereignty of the state. In 2019, for example, heavily armed gunmen forced the government to release the son of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, Ovidio Guzmán, who was accused of drug trafficking and captured by the Mexican national guard. The cartel forces outmanned and outgunned the newly minted national guard. They captured 30 national guard soldiers and held them captive until Ovidio Guzmán was freed.4 The cartel also attacked the city, signaling their power to citizens and governments alike. The Sinaloa cartel controls large swaths of territory in Mexico and operates as a de facto authority.