Colombia and Afghanistan : grey areas and the alliance between armed groups and drug trafficking.

• Main Author: Franck Marre.
• Other Authors: John Harrison
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Military and naval science::Strategy
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/41798
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

After the end of the Cold War, some weak states lost control of neglected regions of the national territory which turned into grey areas. Guerrillas, terrorist and criminal organizations have spread out over them; some of these unruly areas have turned into chaotic and dangerous zones because transnational criminality, drug trafficking and terrorism do not only propagate shock waves in them; they also pose a threat for the world's leading countries. The narco-guerrilla connection has transformed some grey areas into real powder kegs that have eventually threatened the world stability. That is why their proliferation has become a serious concern for the international community and policymakers. They have made grey areas one of their strategic priorities and they have intervened in several fronts to prevent this cancer to metastasize. This work focuses on the grey areas phenomenon and especially on the narco-guerrilla connection in two countries: Colombia, the world's main supplier of coca leaves and cocaine, and Afghanistan, the foremost opium poppy producer in the world since 2002. The issue is to know what drives armed groups and drug traffickers to join together and whether this alliance always constitutes a symbiosis. Responses and recommendations in order to tackle better the grey area phenomenon and the narco-guerrilla connection also will be discussed.