Drug Trafficking, Organized Crime, and Violence in the Americas Today - Paperback

by Bruce M. Bagley (Author), Jonathan D. Rosen (Editor)

In 1971, Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs. Despite foreign policy efforts and attempts to combat supply lines, the United States has been for decades, and remains today, the largest single consumer market for illicit drugs on the planet.

This volume argues that the war on drugs has been ineffective at best and, at worst, has been highly detrimental to many countries. Leading experts in the fields of public health, political science, and national security analyze how U.S. policies have affected the internal dynamics of Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Central America, and the Caribbean islands. Together, they present a comprehensive overview of the major trends in drug trafficking and organized crime in the early twenty-first century.

In addition, the editors and contributors identify emerging issues and propose several policy options to address them. This accessible and expansive volume provides a framework for understanding the limits and liabilities in the U.S.-championed war on drugs throughout the Americas.

Author Biography

Bruce M. Bagley, professor and former associate dean of the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Miami, is coauthor of International Relations in Latin America. Jonathan D. Rosen, professor of international studies at the Universidad del Mar in Mexico, is the author of The Losing War: Plan Colombia and Beyond.

Contributors: Sigrid Arzt Bruce M. Bagley Jeanene McCoy Bengoa Oscar Bernal Lilian Bobea Marten W. Brienen Carolina Cepeda Daniel H. Ciccarone Khatchik DerGhougassian Roberto Domínguez Zelde Espinel Ben-Amy Glen Evans Betty Horwitz Adam Isacson Alberto Lozano-Vázquez Duane C. McBride Clyde McCoy J. Bryan Page Jorge Rebolledo Flores Elvira María Restrepo Rocío A. Rivera Barradas Francisco Rojas Aravena Jonathan D. Rosen James M. Shultz Arlene B. Tickner Juan Gabriel Tokatlian Yulia Vorobyeva Marcelo Rocha e Silva Zorovich