Drugs and Contemporary Warfare

by Paul Rexton Kan

Overview

The relationship between drugs and today’s wars has grown more noticeable since the end of the Cold War and will likely gather strength in this era of increased globalization. Many violent groups and governments have recently turned to illicit narcotics in their entrepreneurial quests to stay viable in the post–Cold War world. It is no coincidence that many of the most violent and ongoing conflicts, from the Balkans to the Hindu Kush, from the Andes to the Golden Triangle, occur in areas of widespread drug production and well-traveled distribution routes. Interdisciplinary in its approach, Drugs and Contemporary Warfare investigates the convergence of drugs and modern warfare, the violent actors involved in the drug trade, the drugs they produce and distribute, and how these drugs enter into battlefield conflicts and give rise to combat narcosis. Paul Rexton Kan then examines counternarcotics operations and suggests solutions to curb the drug trade’s effects on contemporary conflict. He offers several broad strategies that refine assessments, policies, and operations to promote improvement in social, economic, and political conditions. The hope is that these strategies will help citizens create sustainable societies and robust governments in war-afflicted countries struggling under the drug trade’s shadow. In a world searching for peace, the answer may not solely be on the battlefield but also on the front line against illegal narcotics. With a foreword by Moisés Naím, editor in chief of Foreign Policy magazine and the author of Illicit: How Smugglers, Traffickers, and Copycats Are Hijacking the Global Economy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781597972574
Publisher:	Potomac Books
Publication date:	01/01/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	194
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Paul Rexton Kan is an associate professor of national security studies at the U.S. Army War College. He has presented on this topic at the Southern Political Science Association and has published articles in such journals as Small Wars and Insurgencies. He lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Table of Contents

List of Tables vii

Foreword Moise´s Naím ix

Preface xi

1 Hazy Shades of War 1

2 Drugging the Battlefield: Drugs as War Funding 19

3 High at War: Drug Use by Combatants 47

4 Narcotics and Nation-Building: Drug Trade as Post-Conflict Complication 67

5 Sober Lessons for the Future: The Dynamics of Drug-Fueled Conflicts 93

6 Shaky Paths Forward: Strategies and Approaches in Drug-Fueled Conflicts 117

Notes 147

Bibliography 173

Index 189

About the Author 193

Editorial Reviews

“Dr. Kan’s book is a revealing look at a world where two powerful forces—the drug trade and violent conflicts—are shaping each other and forcing political leaders, military officers, and scholars to reconsider notions of what causes war, why modern wars are prolonged, and how they might be brought to an end.”—Donald R. Gardner, Major General, USMC (Ret), president, Marine Corps University

Donald R. Gardner

"A sobering, important guide."—Midwest Book Review

Midwest Book Review

“Drugs and Contemporary Warfare offers one of the first systematic attempts to incorporate drugs into the theory of armed conflict. It offers a new perspective on wartime and post-war behavior, based on a solid theoretical foundation. Kan’s book would be a welcome addition to the bookshelves of any student of modern conflict.”—Chris Albon, MountainRunner.us

MountainRunner.us - Chris Albon

“Many books have been written about war and many books about drugs but none about the connections between them. Paul Kan fills this gap and does so with style. His analysis is not only highly revealing and incisive in its explanations of these connections but also offers original and important insights about each of his main themes. This is an important and valuable contribution and is a must read for scholars and students of both war and drugs.”—Phil Williams, professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh

Phil Williams

“Paul Kan’s new book is a valuable contribution to the literature on asymmetric warfare, conflict resolution in civil wars, and postconflict peace-building. He demonstrates that narcotics are more bloody than diamonds.”—Tom Farer, dean, Josef Korbel School of International Studies, and author of Confronting Global Terrorism and American Neo-Conservatism: The Framework of a Liberal Grand Strategy

Tom Farer

“Recommended.”—Choice

Choice

This well-researched and coherent book will be of value not just to students and academics, but also practitioners, who face the ongoing challenge of integrating counter-narcotic strategies into military operations, development projects and humanitarian efforts.”

“Recommended.”

“Drugs and Contemporary Warfare offers one of the first systematic attempts to incorporate drugs into the theory of armed conflict. It offers a new perspective on wartime and post-war behavior, based on a solid theoretical foundation. Kan’s book would be a welcome addition to the bookshelves of any student of modern conflict.”

"A sobering, important guide."

“Many books have been written about war and many books about drugs but none about the connections between them. Paul Kan fills this gap and does so with style. His analysis is not only highly revealing and incisive in its explanations of these connections but also offers original and important insights about each of his main themes. This is an important and valuable contribution and is a must read for scholars and students of both war and drugs.”

“Dr. Kan’s book is a revealing look at a world where two powerful forces—the drug trade and violent conflicts—are shaping each other and forcing political leaders, military officers, and scholars to reconsider notions of what causes war, why modern wars are prolonged, and how they might be brought to an end.”

“Paul Kan’s new book is a valuable contribution to the literature on asymmetric warfare, conflict resolution in civil wars, and postconflict peace-building. He demonstrates that narcotics are more bloody than diamonds.”

From the Publisher