After another eventful week of foreign policy, the weekend is finally here again. 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.
‘Ndrangheta Boss in South America: From OCCRP, news that Italian organized crime boss Pantaleone Mancuso of the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta was arrested in Argentina near the Iguazu Falls while trying to cross over into Brazil. This is of course encouraging news on its face, but it is noteworthy where Mancuso was captured. The Iguazu Falls are located in the Triple Frontier of South America, an area where Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina meet. The region is known to be a hotbed of various illicit networks, including narcotics traffickers, Hezbollah financiers, and gun runners.
Covert Boots on the Ground: From David Ignatius at The Washington Post, a post on the process in which Obama can have Specials Forces operators in Iraq without having the proverbial “boots on the ground.” This power exists the Title 50 of the US Code, which allows the military to operate under the direction of the CIA in certain circumstances. The process is known as “sheep-dipping” in intel circles and was used most notably in the Abbottabad raid in May 2011.
CT or COIN?: From Jonathan Lord at War on the Rocks, a pointed critique on Obama’s rhetoric towards ISIS. Counterinsurgency has become synonymous with the Iraq and Afghanistan wars of the previous decade and counterterror seems less complex. Additionally, pretending that the campaign against ISIS is one against terrorism allows Obama to back it legally with the AUMF from 2001, even though ISIS is “not, by any stretch of the imagination, the same people that directed the 9/11 attacks.”
AQ Calls for Jihadist Unity: From The Long War Journal, reports that AQAP and AQIM have called on ISIS and other jihadist groups in Iraq and Syria to collaborate against the US. It appears that AQ is trying to regain credibility and prestige that had been lost to ISIS over the summer. In recent weeks, AQ has also announced a new branch of the terrorist organization in the Indian subcontinent.
El Chapo in Court: From Marguerite Cawley at InSight Crime, news that Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, recently captured head of the Sinaloa Cartel, will testify against a fellow Sinaloa operator. This development should strike fear into other Sinaloa higher-ups, as it appears that Chapo has entered into some sort of deal with the Mexican government.
Blood Diamonds: From The Small Wars Journal and by Peter G. Chirico and Katherine C. Malpeli, a long-read on conflict mining in Africa and the networks distribute the gems. This is not a niche industry, as “In Africa alone, an estimated 9 million people are directly involved in the sector”, and it clearly exacerbates wars and insurgency in the region.
Complex Operations: From National Defense University, the latest PRISM journal, with articles on illicit networks (John Arquilla), organized crime (Wibke Hansen), nuclear terrorism (Feroz Khan and Emily Burke), and Hezbollah (Matthew Levitt, Celina Realuyo). This is an atypical inclusion compared to my usual Pure and Uncut post selections, but there are many excellent articles related to drugs and thugs in this edition and it is well worth the read.
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Enjoy the weekend, and thanks for reading.
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