The Non-State Update: January 9, 2015

Welcome to this weekend’s Non-State Update. Below is a list of some of the best news and analysis articles from this week. Like the rest of Drugs and Thugs Blog, the topics addressed are terrorism, insurgency, transnational criminal organizations, and narcotics trafficking. 

US ‘Kingpin’ Designation Exposes Sinaloa Cartel Head in Central America: First of from InSight Crime, a piece by Steven Dudley on the recent sanctions designation of Cesar Gastelum Serrano and his associates under the Kingpin Act. As a major affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico, Serrano aka La Señora and the rest of his gang supports the distribution of cocaine from Colombia, through Honduras and north to Mexico and the US. In recent months, his network has begun to fall apart. The financial designation will aid this process.

Boko Haram Overruns Multinational Joint Task Force Base: From the Long War Journal’s Bill Roggio, a report on the recent attack by Boko Haram militants against a base manned by Nigerian, Nigerien, and Chadian soldiers. Despite increased attention and resources on Boko Haram, they continue to harass soldiers and civilians in the northern Nigeria. 

Will Anyone Claim Credit for the Charlie Hedbo Attack?: At Slate’s The World blog, Joshua Keating has a post on the horrific attacks in Paris earlier this week. Keating breaks down the likely groups that will claim credit and the frequency in which terrorist groups immediately come out after successful attacks. If it is AQ, they will likely claim the attack as their own in order to strike a propaganda blow against their competitor, ISIS. 

How Not to Respond to the Charlie Hedbo Attacks: Barbara F. Walter at Political Violence @ a Glance has a short piece on the way that the West should act after the attacks in Paris earlier this week. Although some may immediately self-censor, Walter argues that we should not stop publishing, as this is exactly what the attackers had hoped to cause. 

Insurance Companies in the Cross-Hairs of Terror Funding Crackdown: Next, Jamila Trindle at Foreign Policy with a post on a debated bill in the UK House of Commons that would prevent individuals or insurance companies from paying ransom to terrorists. Although insurance companies claim that their policies don’t fund terrorist groups, British legislators are likely to continue considering the new law. 

Meth is Flooding California-And You Can Blame Mexican Cartels: At Vice News, Meredith Hoffman has an article on the recent surge of Mexican meth arriving in Los Angeles, then being shipped across the country. Not only is the new meth cheaper, but also significantly purer. This increase of foreign meth is likely due to a crackdown on precursor chemicals in the US in 2006. 

Canada Warns of Crowd-Funded Terrorism: Money Jihad has an interesting piece on comments from a Canadian intelligence official speaking on the rise of crowd-funding as a sharia-compliant way to raise terrorism finances. Most significantly, this is being used by would-be jihadists to acquire enough cash to travel to Iraq or Syria. Better regulation is needed to limit this effect. 

Countering 21st Century Threats: The Need for Increased Joint, Interagency, Intergovernmental and Multinational (JIIM) Approach to Irregular Warfare: At Small Wars Journal, a great article on the way the US government and its allies should approach irregular and unconventional warfare. As the US government continues to limit the focus towards counter-insurgency, the article’s recommendations are more necessary than ever. We will fight an insurgency in the future; whether we remember how to do so is our own choice. 

What Comes After the Islamic State is Defeated?: At Foreign Policy, Gopal Ratnam with a post on what the US should expect as an endgame for the ISIS campaign. Ratnam’s proposal for a UN-peacekeeping force is interesting, but much ambiguity still remains. There are likely still years ahead of us before there is a peace to be kept. But planning for this future now is a useful exercise. 

The Islamic State’s Irregulars: Finally, a podcast episode to break up your Non-State Update reading. The Loopcast has another great episode, this time talking with J.M Berger about his recent article on Foreign Policy. After the attack in Paris this week, a discussion on lone wolf terrorists is surprisingly poignant. 

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the weekend. 

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