As we near the end of 2014, many columnists are publishing articles that attempt to recap the previous twelve months and review the major world events of the year. Here at Drugs & Thugs Blog, we’ll do things a little differently. With a nod to OCCRP’s satirical Person of the Year award, I proudly present the first annual Thug of the Year award.
Drugs & Thugs Blog was established as a forum for commentary and analysis on the topics of terrorism, narcotics trafficking, organized crime, and insurgency. In that vein, the Thug of the Year award will go to the individual or organization who’s actions in these fields had the largest negative impact on the global stage. Although much of the discussion here at D&TB is on non-state actors, this award will not discriminate against state actors. Established and internationally recognized governments can be thugs as well.
This year, by all measures, has been surprisingly and horrifically violent. Between new and continuing conflicts in the Middle East, unrest in Eastern Europe, insurgencies in Africa, drug cartel violence in Mexico, and terrorism in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, there is no shortage of awful human beings that can be categorized as international security thugs. But only the worst of the worst can be called the Thug of the Year. Which individual caused death, destruction, and international strife in the most horrific and reprehensible way this year?
And now, without further ado, the finalists for the 2014 Thug of the Year. Admittedly, it’s a packed crowd, and there are many qualified candidates that didn’t make the cut.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, for his support of the Ukrainian separatists and the annexation of Crimea. Because of his role in instigating, prolonging, and intensifying the conflict, nearly 5,000 Ukrainians have been killed and nearly 500,000 have been forced to flee their homes. All the while, Putin has blatantly lied to the international community about his role in the war.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, for the continuation of the Syrian Civil War. Since the beginning of the war in 2011, al-Assad has been responsible for 200,000 deaths, at least 60,000 of which occured in 2014 alone. Syrian governmental forces have used chemical weapons and deadly barrel bombs on civilians and targeted doctors providing much-needed health care.
Pakistani Taliban (TTP) leader Maulana Fazlullah, for the Peshawar school massacre, among other attacks. The Peshawar attack killed nearly 150 individuals, almost all of them students. In addition to other more traditional terrorist attacks, the Pakistan Taliban attempted to kill Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai in 2012. The Peshawar massacre was so horrifying that even the Afghan Taliban noted their disgust of the TTP’s actions.
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, for the continued insurgency in Nigeria and the abduction of the 276 girls from Chibok. In 2014 alone, the group has accounted for at least 2,000 civilian deaths, either through traditional military strikes or terrorist attacks.
All of these individuals, as well as others not listed above, have committed unconscionable acts this year and ruined lives, families, and countries. The fact that they are only finalists and not the winners does not diminish the unbelievable suffering that they have caused. Make no mistake: all of these individuals are awful human beings.
Although it was a close race, the D&TB Thug of the Year “award” goes to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The head of the organizational descendent of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s brutal al-Qaeda in Iraq faction, al-Baghdadi has directed the ISIS takeover of Mosul and Fallujah this year. In addition to brutally ruling the ISIS-claimed area in eastern Syria and western Iraq, ISIS has enacted a campaign of genocide against the Yazidi people, committed atrocities against Shia prisoners, beheaded multiple western journalists and aid workers, and killed thousands of Iraqi civilians. Despite the US-led coalition bombing campaign begun in September, al-Baghdadi’s Islamic State continues to operate across a vast swath of Syria and Iraq with relative impunity.
Congratulations, al-Baghdadi. You’re the worst person in the world.
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