International Journal of History

Author(s): Amit Pal

Abstract: In the wake of collapse of the Soviet Union, Central Asia has transformed into a key hub along the Afghan opiates trafficking routes. Around 30 percent of the heroin manufactured in Afghanistan is estimated to be smuggled through Central Asian Republics in its way to booming drug markets in Russia and Eastern Europe. The article seeks to confute mainstream analyses which emphasize connections between drug trafficking and other criminal activities like terrorism, arm proliferation and human trafficking. The focus is on conducive factors for the establishment of drug routes in Central Asia, the characteristics of drug related networks, and the nature of political-criminal relations across the region. This paper examines also examine drug trafficking in India with specific emphasis on the role of border security. In doing so, it seeks to discern the role played by narcotics trafficking in the broader political-geographic space of the Republics and India, paying specific attention to state capacity. Likewise, it is interested, how these processes are shaped by political-geographic space. This paper ultimately supports some recent measures taken for controlling narcotics trafficking in the Republics and India. By moving the focus from drug-terror nexus to the state-crime connections, the article provides a critical insight into political economy issues surrounding a complex and multifaceted phenomenon such as the drug trade in both regions.

Pages: 64-67 | Views: 753 | Downloads: 277

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