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.
Presidential Strategy and ISIS: First off, an article from Steve Coll at The New Yorker on Obama’s strategy on Syria and Iraq. Coll examines Obama’s rationale for limited attacks, but ends the article by stating that, “To defeat ISIS, but also to reduce its source of strength, will require the President to risk his credibility on more than just air strikes.”
Hezbollah, Cocaine, and Suriname: InSight Crime has a great piece on Suriname’s president’s son, who has just pleaded guilty for terrorism and drug trafficking charges as a result of an undercover operation by the DEA. Bouterse was the chief of Suriname’s counterterroism office. Additionally, FP published a fascinating piece on this back in February.
Mexican Cartel Alliances: Another InSight Crime article on a potential summit of cartel leaders which might have resulted in an understanding between the Zetas, Beltran Leyva, Jalisco, and Juarez cartels. This realignment of cartels is clearly focused against the dominant Sinaloa Cartel. This could have serious implications on Mexican narcotrafficking going forward.
al-Qaeda Expansion: A The Long War Journal article on Zawahiri’s recent announcement of a new al-Qaeda branch in the Indian subcontinent. This new branch will report to Taliban leader Mullah Omar and appears to have many smaller groups under its aegis, as reported here. This expansion appears to have been a direct response to ISIS’s recent announcement of a caliphate in Iraq and Syria, which could indicate even more internecine competition between the two jihadist groups.
Covert Invasions: Slate’s Joshua Keating writes on the similarity in tactical style between Iran’s operations in Iraq and Russia’s in Ukraine. “Covert operations in warfare are nothing new, but these appear to be a bit different: military operations conducted in full view of the international media but without the official acknowledgment of the governments ordering them.”
The Bosnian War and Western Radicalization: Finally, from War on the Rocks, Jonathan Bronitsky writes on the role that the Balkan Wars had on radicalization in the UK long before the current ISIS conflict. He argues that, Homegrown radicalization in Europe didn’t start because of American military intervention in the Middle East, and it certainly wouldn’t end with America’s retreat from the world stage.”
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Enjoy the weekend, and thanks for reading.
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