Global illicit sectors : an analysis of drugs in international relations

• Main Author: Tosti, Padideh
• Published: London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London) 2007
• Subjects: 363.45
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.645669

The complexity of international drug trafficking is not only derived from its inherent nature as a transnational illicit enterprise, but also from the themes and perceptions used to characterize, understand and explain it. The knot of perceptions and themes that comprise the drug trade are well evidenced in the discipline of International Relations and in the international policymaking arena. The following work primarily examines how both International Relations and the international policymaking arena treat the drug issue and also includes discussions involving other illicit activities. This research seeks to answer the following question: How have drugs predominantly been presented in both IR and in the arena of international policy making. In order to address this, several subquestions will be explored: 1) What themes have been associated with drugs in International Relations literature. 2) How are drugs viewed in the international arena. 3) What is the historical background to contemporary perceptions of the drug issue. 4) What are alternative themes and approaches to understanding and explaining drugs. 5) What are the consequences from the answers to the preceding questions for IR and for the world of illicit drugs?