CRM333 Research: Drug Trafficking Organization Violence

Drug Trafficking and Organization Violence
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Institutional Affiliation
Drug Trafficking and Organization Violence
Abstract
This paper tries to analyze the relationship between drug trafficking and organized crime. The traditional approaches to drugs has been based on “war on drugs” and has provided narrow insights to the whole issue calling for a wider and comprehensive approach. Therefore, deciding to discuss the issues from “organized violence” is a wise decision since it is more comprehensive than the traditional approach. The media and academia disciplines still struggle to understand the nature of violence that has been witnessed in Latin America and Caribbean countries for more than two decades through the traditional “war on drugs” approach. The phrase “war on drugs” was coined by President Nixon in 1971 and since then there has been dramatic changes across the well hence the need to change the way the whole issue is being approached.
Introduction
Most Latin American leaders have argued that U.S.A is the major reason was drug trafficking exists in their countries. Their argument is that if American would not have been having a large population of drug addicts or users, their countries would not have been producing the large quantities of illegal drugs such as cocaine for export. Consequently, the powerful and well-financed drug trafficking organizations would not be existing in the region. For the past two and half decades, the so called cartels have sprung up in the region and they tend to control everything. These cartels have diversified from drug trafficking only to human trafficking and even smuggling of weapons into other countries.
Drug trafficking and organized violence/crime have been described as “new risks” to both internal and international security and stability. Although they are not new, they have become globalized and complex. It is evident that non-state actors and internal and international security issues are related; therefore, it is important to understand the two risks before even starting to address them. Politi (1997) asserted that the two risks have become an obstacle to nations due to various reasons. First, its effect on different factors of internal and international issues, but the government evolutions should not fall victims of these risks to destroy the social, political and cultural order. Second, establishment of democratic governance is crucial in developing democracies and countries. These evolutions might be fragile to the risks and if the developing countries fail in the transition process, they will face more adverse challenges such as illegal immigration and violence within their boundaries and they will be forced to spend more resources in peacekeeping trying to mitigate the problem. All countries are vulnerable to these risks, in other words, no country cannot be affected. Organized crimes are the facilitators of drug trafficking, smuggling of weapons as well as human trafficking which has been describes as the “new form of slavery”. Fourth, these risks affects both ordinary citizens and political choices. Lastly, due to these risks, the strategic features of non-internal act...