The Non-State Update: January 23, 2015

Welcome to this weekend’s Non-State Update. It’s been another busy week following non-state actors, but the weekend is finally here. Below is a list of some of the best articles from this week. Like the rest of Drugs and Thugs Blog, the topics addressed are terrorism, insurgency, transnational criminal organizations, and narcotics trafficking. 

Roberto Saviano: My Life Under Armed Guard: 

First off, from The Guardian and Roberto Saviano, an excellent biographical piece on the author’s infamy among the Camorra, the Neapolitan organized crime group. After publishing Gamorrah and calling out the Camorra’s practices, they threatened his life. He continues to live under guard and among threats. An absolutely brave man, and a great author as well. 

Ex-Gitmo Detainee Leads Contingent of Islamic State Fighters in Afghanistan: 

At the Long War Journal, Thomas Joscelyn with a piece on a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner who returned to the Taliban after his release. When he lost a power struggle in the organization, he switched allegiance to ISIS and brought his followers along. The competition between jihadists groups continues, even in al-Qaeda’s backyard. 

Besting Boko Haram: 

Next, Alice Hunt Friend at War on the Rocks with an article on the political mistakes made by the Nigerian government in combatting Boko Haram and a way forward in fighting the organization. Assuming that Goodluck Jonathan is reelected next month, he will have his work cut out for him in reconciling the northern and southern parts of Nigeria to unite against Boko Haram. 

Can Argentina Find Justice Without Alberto Nisman?: 

At Foreign Policy, Matthew Levitt analyzes the supposed suicide of Special Prosecutor Alberto Nisman, who had been investigating Iranian complicity in the 1994 Buenos Aires bombing. He was expect to appear the day after his death to demonstrate new evidence that the Argentinian government was covering up certain details of the case. With his “suicide”, even more questions are left unanswered. 

Kelmendi Pleads Not Guilty as Trial Opens in Prishtina: 

At OCCRP and via Balkans Insight, Una Hajdari reports on the beginning of Naser Kelmendi’s trial in Kosovo. Kelmendi, something of a personal project here at D&TB (here and here), is on trial for murder, narcotics trafficking, and organized crime. Because neighboring states continue to refuse to recognize Kosovo as a sovereign country, though, the trial has many complications to progress through. More on this here at D&TB next week.

Boko Haram Targets India for Drug Dealing Income: 

At Money Jihad, a post on the Nigerian insurgency Boko Haram’s plans to traffic in narcotics in India to support their fight. To this end, Boko Haram has allegedly aligned with D-Company boss Dawood Ibrahim. This seems so incredible as to be unbelievable, but if there’s any truth in this, it would be a stunning development. 

Playing a Double Game in the Fight Against AQAP: 

At Foreign Policy, Evan Hill and Laura Kasinof with a long read on the Yemeni government’s ties with AQAP. In light of yesterday’s events in Sanaa, this is required reading to understand the dynamics of the country. 

Drone Carrying Three Kilos of Meth Crashes in Tijuana: 

Andrea Noel at Vice News with a bizarre report on a drone crash in Tijuana earlier this week. The drone was downed after it proved unable to handle the 6.5 pounds of methamphetamine attached to it. Concerns about drone-facilitated drug trafficking are not new, but it is surprising to see such a blatant use of the new technology. 

Confusing Revolution with Terrorism:

An interesting piece at Small Wars Journal by Eric C. Anderson on the fallacy of calling ISIS terrorists. Because their movement is so much more than simple terrorism, the label does not make sense. This complicates the problem and eliminates some of our preferred solutions, but it reflects reality more effectively. Anderson’s article also explains some of the points I tried to make a few months back, although in a much more eloquent fashion than my take. 

2000 Illegal Weapons Cross US-Mexico Border Per Day-Report: 

From InSight Crime’s David Gagne, commentary on a recent report put out by the Mexican government’s research wing on the flow of illegal weapons. The American appetite for narcotics creates the market, but our lax gun laws are exacerbating it the war. Drugs go north, guns head south. 

When Money is a Weapon: How the Treasury Got Into the Spy Game: 

And finally at Bloomberg, Terry Atlas and Andrew Mayeda have a great piece on the rise of the Treasury Department’s stature in the national security community, mainly due to its role in drugs and thugs topics. Sanctioning and tracking terrorists, narcotics cartels, and weapons traffickers has become much more in vogue in the security establishment as of late.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the weekend. 

For comments, thoughts, concerns, criticism, or article submissions to D&TB, please comment below, email me at conormlarkin@gmail.com, or follow me on Twitter @ConorMLarkin.