#1

It feels only appropriate to begin a new blog dedicated to the discussion of organized crime and narcotics trafficking with a quote from The Godfather: 

“It's true, I have a lot of friends in politics, but they wouldn't be friendly very long if they knew my business was drugs instead of gambling, which they regard as a harmless vice. But drugs is a dirty business. It doesn't make any difference to me what a man does for a living, understand. But your business is, uh, a little dangerous.”

Such an quote from Don Corleone understates the reality of this realm of international security. For those of us that read and research organized crime, narcotics trafficking, terrorism, and insurgency, it may be convenient to create a sanitized version of such a reality in order to study it, but this field is a dangerous and dirty business. Despite this, it remains a fascinating prism to look at foreign policy, economics, and international security through. It is my hope that this Drugs and Thugs Blog provides an interesting commentary on issues related to crime, narcotics, terrorism, and insurgency from around the world, viewed through a larger international viewpoint. The titular drugs and thugs issues are not isolated; they affect all people, governments, and institutions that they come in contact with. They should not be viewed as individual circumstances divorced from the international context in which they exist and operate. In this light, it has become imperative that such conflicts are looked at in the appropriate context. It is my hope that this blog contextualizes the issues involved, while also looking at them in an approachable format. Additionally, I’ll admit that I am no expert. I readily welcome any other opinions. I hope to make this a conversation, and I believe that we can all learn from each other.

Please provide any feedback to ConorMLarkin@gmail.com, @ConorMLarkin (Drug And Thugs Blog) on Twitter, or in the comments section below. I look forward to hearing your comments and thoughts.