Transcript PSC 300.302, Global Human Rights

Transnational Politics
Global networks of violence
Today
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Dark networks and violent transnationalism
 Drug cartels and terrorism
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Drug cartels: economic gain
Terrorism: political gain
Reading:
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Fiona B. Adamson: ‘Globalization, Transnational Political
Mobilization, and networks of Violence’
Hans Peter Schmitz
Monday, 2/11/2008
Transnational activism and national security
How does transnational activism change
national security policies?
 How can insights from the transnational
advocacy literature help us understand
violent networks?
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Hans Peter Schmitz
Monday, 2/11/2008
Three sections
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Adamson, p. 33
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First section: New incentives and opportunities for
transnational activists
Second section: Empirical examples
Third section: Four distinct ways in which transnational
violent networks affect national security
Hans Peter Schmitz
Monday, 2/11/2008
Incentives to move beyond the state
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Mobility of people.
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Migration – legal and illegal/human trafficking.
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Leads to more transnational ties across societies.
Increased connectivity: decreased costs of communication.
Mobility of capital/goods.
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Informal economic networks and remittances.
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Drug smuggling.
Mobility of ideas and identities.
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‘Virtually’ defined communities.
New technologies enable transnational communities.
Hans Peter Schmitz
Monday, 2/11/2008
Pull and push factors: fomenting
nationalism
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Globalization provides ‘pull’ factors enabling transnational
activism.
Political grievances are the ‘push’ factors behind the
formation of transnational networks (p. 37, boomerang pattern).
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Examples: Kosovo, Kurdistan, Tamil nationalists, Hamas.
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Using violence to provoke an international intervention.
Hans Peter Schmitz
Monday, 2/11/2008
Do diasporas promote civil conflict?
Diasporas > civil conflict?
??? > terrorist strategies?
Transnational resources > domestic success?
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Question: why did some of these movements for
national independence succeed and others fail?
Hans Peter Schmitz
Monday, 2/11/2008
Defining Terrorism
Premeditated act(s) of violence against civilians
during peace time with the goal of spreading anxiety
and fear. The victims of terrorism are usually not
identical with the targets. Terrorists choose victims
with the aim of maximizing psychological effects on
bystanders. Terrorism is a tactic/means used to
promote political goals.
Terrorism is the peace time equivalent of war crimes.
Hans Peter Schmitz
Monday, 2/11/2008
Three consequences
Challenging the separation of internal and external
security
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New threats from weak states, not strong states.
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Domestic use of the military
Transnationalization of internal security forces
Anarchy emerges within states.
Forcing states to internalize global security.
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Ongoing civil war on a global scale.
Hans Peter Schmitz
Monday, 2/11/2008
The Power of Non-State Actors
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Although non-state actors rarely control territory or
populations (as states do), they have gained authority
and control over political outcomes.
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Multinational corporations: Market power based on
financial means.
NGOs: Moral power based on “shaming”, agendasetting, and expertise.
Criminal and terrorist networks: Coercive power based
on violence and corruption.
Success of Transnational Violence
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Law enforcement is limited by state borders, drug
cartels and human traffickers are not.
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Transnational Crime Networks interact with
legitimate economy/politics in important ways:
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Money-laundering (legalize profits; estimated at $1 to 2
trillion annually)
Corruption (avoid arrests, etc.)
Explaining Transnational Illicit Networks
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State failures: Proliferation of small arms; border
controls; high seas.
Globalization: increasing and faster financial
transactions; weakening state controls.
Global inequalities: Coca is a viable crop, because
licit products can not be sold to protected markets in
the US and Europe.
World Drug Report, 2007
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United Nations Office on Crime and Drugs
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First paragraph from the Executive Summary:
“The world’s drug problem is being contained. In 2005/06, the global
markets for the main illicit drugs – the opiates, cocaine, cannabis, and
amphetamine-type stimulants – remained largely stable. Particularly
notable is the stabilisation seen in the cannabis market, which had been
expanding rapidly for some time. In line with a long-term trend, the share of
total drug production that is seized by law enforcement has also increased
– some 42 per cent of global cocaine production and 26 per cent of global
heroin production never made it to consumers” (p. 7).
World Drug Report, 2007
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Last paragraph from the Executive Summary:
“The two examples discussed above highlight two extremes of a
spectrum: on the one hand, the highly organized groups active in
shipping multi-million dollar consignments of cocaine from Colombia to
the USA; on the other, the many, uncoordinated players who, responding
to market incentives, move heroin from Afghanistan to Russia. It appears
that the two regions are vaguely converging, however - cocaine
trafficking has become less organized since the days of the Medellin and
Cali Cartels, and the heroin trade in Afghanistan, is growing increasingly
and is getting more organized” (p. 21).
Is there a global drug problem?
World population:
Age, 15-64:
Non-drug users:
Drug users
6.5 billion
4.2 billion (100 per cent)
4 billion (95 per cent)
200 million (4.8 per cent)
Problem drug users:
25 million (.6 percent)
(at least once a year):
Changes in the use of cocaine, 2005 (or latest year available), WDR (ES), p. 13
Hans Peter Schmitz
Monday, 2/11/2008
Changes in the use of cannabis, 2005 (or latest year available), WDR (ES), p. 16
Hans Peter Schmitz
Monday, 2/11/2008