When the Colombian presidential elections headed into a run-off in May, and voters were given the choice between the right-wing incumbent Santos administration and Óscar Iván Zuluaga, a right-wing protégé of former President Alvaro Uribe Velez, journalist Mario López, writing in the local newspaper El Espectador, noted, “Whichever candidate wins the country is not going…Continue Reading Peace Wins in Colombia
Resistance to a ‘War on Drugs’ in West Africa
It has long been known that the most cost-effective way to combat the drug trade is through treatment, prevention, and education at home. These methods continue to be underfunded in the the main consumer countries. Instead, the focus is on supply, a policy choice that has, among many other disastrous implications, served to push routes…Continue Reading Resistance to a ‘War on Drugs’ in West Africa
New IDS Report on West Africa
A few years back there was a jump in the amount of South American drugs, particularly cocaine, being found by authorities in West Africa. Starting in Brazil and Venezuela, the shipments move across the Atlantic to the West Coast of Africa, and from there through the Sahara and on to Southern Europe. A new route…Continue Reading New IDS Report on West Africa
A Temporary Aberration?
The punitive element of the War on Drugs at home has led to record rates of incarceration. Of the world’s entire prison population, twenty five percent are now in the US. More than half the inmates are there on drug-related charges, and of these the majority were arrested for simple possession. On this note, here…Continue Reading A Temporary Aberration?
PG Network Meeting Held in London
The PG Network held it’s 3rd official meeting on Friday 25th April at Kings College London. The network continues to grow and this time we welcomed three new members to the group: Burke Basaranel, Emrah Ozdemir and David Perez Esparza. The network members all gave a short summary of their research and John Collins reported…Continue Reading PG Network Meeting Held in London