Drugs and Contemporary Warfare

by Paul Rexton Kan, Moisés Naím (Foreword)

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 How Smugglers, Traffickers, and Copycats Are Hijacking the Global Economy.

194 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Dr. Paul Rexton Kan is currently an Associate Professor of National Security Studies at the US Army War College at Carlisle Barracks. He was awarded the General George C. Marshall Faculty Research Grant to complete his book, Drugs and Contemporary Warfare. He is also the recipient of a Madigan Faculty Writing Award for his article, "Drugging Babylon: The Illegal Narcotics Trade and Nation-Building in Iraq" published in the June 2007 edition of the journal Small Wars and Insurgencies. His research on Mexican cartel violence will be part of an upcoming book on the subject while his research on North Korea's illicit international activities will be published as a monograph by the Strategic Studies Institute. He is currently working on his next book, "Whiskey Rebellions, Opium Wars and Other Battles for Intoxication".