Narkopowieść latynoamerykańska: rzeczywistość z Szekspirem w tle

Latin American literature is not rich in references to the works of Shakespeare, but rather focuses on its own tradition. The premise on which this article is based, however, is that the reality of the region displays Shakespearean characteristics. The aim of this article is to present a subgenre, or a literary convention, known as a narconovel. The configuration of the represented world in this noir novel variant is determined by the drug trade with its far-reaching social and cultural implications. The narconovel is an important part of the most recent literature in Colombia, Mexico, and other countries of the region. This article addresses associations and disassociations between the narconovel and the crime fiction convention, centering on Shakespearean motifs, related in this case to the concepts of power, crime, guilt, and punishment.

The Drug Trade and State Violence in Internal Conflicts: Evidence from Peru

ABSTRACTMost literature on drugs and conflict focuses on how the drug trade affects insurgent behavior, paying little attention to its effect on state behavior in conflict settings. This article begins to address this gap by analyzing the impact of drugs on state violence during the internal conflict in Peru (1980–2000), which, in the 1980s, was the world’s major producer of coca for the international drug trade. Drawing on literature on criminal violence and on drug policy, this study theorizes militarization as the main channel by which drug production affects how state forces treat the civilian population during internal conflicts, though it also explores a second channel associated with corruption. The analysis finds that, all else equal, drug-producing localities saw increased state violence in ways consistent with the militarization channel.

Women, Drugs, and Violence in Sinaloa

As the United States approaches the fiftieth anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s war on drugs and Mexico is going through the second decade of its war on drugs, the costs and ever-escalating violence are difficult to ignore. Despite the arrests, extraditions, and successful prosecutions of leaders of drug trafficking organizations (DTOs), the trillion dollars that have been spent in the United States and Mexico have done little to undermine the drug demand in the United States or protect Mexican citizens from increasing violence. With former Mexican president Felipe Calderon’s declaration of his own drug war, women have borne the increasing brunt of that violence. Certain women benefit from the lucrative drug trade due to their families’ involvement. Throughout the 20th century, women developed DTOs, but women have always had to fear violence from male competitors and law enforcement. Yet the majority of women who experience the drug trade experience it as users and victims. DTOs and their collaborators among the politicians and the police have acted with impunity. While legitimate actors such as police and politicians claim their support for security measures to protect women and children, these same actors have provided little empathy and support for victims. Women are both combatants in the drug trade and its collateral damage. Their experience with impunity combined with a lack of empathy for the countless victims on both sides of the border has led to a growing sense of hopeless along with growing resistance. Keyword: drug-trafficking

India will be increasingly key to Asian drug cartels

Significance The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has warned that India’s north-east is becoming a major hub for the regional drug trade. Asian drug cartels have long relied on India as a source of drug precursors, the chemicals used in narcotics manufacture. Impacts Pandemic-related hardship will prompt a rise in consumption of relatively cheap drugs such as methamphetamine in the region. Drug cartels based in India and elsewhere in South and South-east Asia will rely increasingly on online platforms to conduct their business. The different states in India’s north-east will struggle to coordinate their efforts to crack down on drug trafficking.