Drug trafficking, organized crime, and violence in the Americas today / edited by Bruce M. Bagley and Jonathan D. Rosen.

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preface: On the study of drug trafficking and organized crime networks in Latin America and the Caribbean in the twenty-first century -- Introduction: Drug trafficking and organized crime in Latin America and the Caribbean in the twenty-first century : challenges to democracy / Bruce M. Bagley -- U.S. Drug Policies at Home and Abroad. Coca, cocaine, and consumption : trends and antitrends / J. Bryan Page -- Illegal drugs as a national security threat : securitization of drugs in the U.S. official discourse / Yulia Vorobyeva -- The war on drugs and the role of southcom / Juan Gabriel Tokatlian -- Mission creep : the U.S. military's counterdrug role in the Americas / Adam Isacson -- Security challenges at the U.S.-Mexican border : understanding the security threats to state and local governments / Rocío A. Rivera Barradas -- Drug-control policies in the United States : patterns, prevalence, and problems of drug use in the United States / Bruce M. Bagley -- Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime : Country and Regional Analyses. Colombia. Colombia and its wars against drug trafficking, 1970-2010 / Elvira María Restrepo -- Illicit drugs in the Colombia-U.S. relationship : review and prospects / Arlene B. Tickner and Carolina Cepeda -- Escalating heroin consumption and the spread of HIV in Colombia : an emerging public health threat / Clyde McCoy, Daniel H. Ciccarone, Zelde Espinel Ben-Amy, Jeanene McCoy Bengoa, Oscar Bernal, Duane C. McBride, and James M. Shultz -- Bolivia. Bolivian drug policy under the Morales Administration / Marten W. Brienen -- Peru. The vicious cycle : the resurgence of drug production and drug trafficking in Peru / Marten W. Brienen and Jonathan D. Rosen -- Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. In search of the Mérida initiative : from antecedents to practical results / Alberto Lozano-Vázquez and Jorge Rebolledo Flores -- Police reform in Mexico : a never-ending story / Sigrid Arzt -- Democracy, security, and organized crime in Central America / Francisco Rojas Aravena -- Seeking out the state : organized crime, violence, and statetropism in the Caribbean / Lilian Bobea -- Brazil. The power of organized crime in Brazil : from public and social challenges to the effectiveness of reforms / Marcelo Rocha e Silva Zorovich -- Argentina. Under (loose) control : drug trafficking in Argentina in times of paradigm change / Khatchik DerGhougassian and Glen Evans -- Regional and International Drug-Control Policies. The role of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission : confronting the problem of illegal drugs in the Americas / Betty Horwitz -- The strategies of the European Union against drug trafficking / Roberto Domínguez -- Analytical conclusions : the search for alternative drug policies in the Americas / Bruce M. Bagley and Jonathan D. Rosen.

"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. The contributors to this volume illustrate that the war on drugs has been ineffective at best, and at worst, has been highly detrimental to countries throughout the region. They present a clear picture of drug trafficking and its role in organized crime while discussing the major trends of the war on drugs in the twenty-first century, as well as its future"--Back cover.