Another weekend, another recap post. Here’s a quick list of some of the more interesting news and commentary articles from this week. Like the rest of Drugs and Thugs Blog, the topics addressed will focus on narcotics trafficking, international criminal organizations, insurgencies, and terrorism. Admittedly, I could have made an entire post focused on ISIS, but in the interest of diversified reading material, I’ll try and maintain some balance between the topics.
Questions on Iraq and Syria: David Ignatius at The Washington Post lists the concerns that increased action in Iraq and Syria pose for the US. Although Obama has explained his rationale, Ignatius emphasizes the real concerns in an expansion of the US role against ISIS.
Ukraine, Russia, and the Ceasefire: From The Economist’s Eastern Approaches blog, a piece on the tenuous ceasefire between Russian-backed rebels and Poroshenko’s government.
Thirteen Years On: From War on the Rocks, Clint Watts analyzes the differences between and current threats of the old guard al-Qaeda and the new upstarts ISIS.
Mexican Cartel Alliances: InSight Crime’s Elyssa Pachico continues the reporting first noted last week that many cartels, including the Beltran Leyva Organization and the Zetas, have allied against the Sinaloa Cartel.
Economists and Vice: From OCCRP, the EU announced that drug trafficking and prostitution, among other shadow economies, should be included in their reports on economic growth.
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Enjoy the weekend, and thanks for reading.
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