International Drug Interdiction: The Narcotisation of United States - Colombia Relations

Abstract

This article examines how narcotics came to be at the centre of US Foreign Policy in Latin America as of the latter half of the 20th Century. The central role of narcotics, referred to as narcotisation, is evident in the case study of US-Colombia relations. It is argued that through the securitization of narcotics, the US adopted a national security stance and sought to impose its supply side policies through coercive diplomacy and militaristic means. The article critically examines this realist approach coupled with the market-based logic of supply and demand, and highlights fundamental flaws which caused more debilitating effects than positive results in drug supply reduction. Despite the mobilization of considerable resources, the policies are largely ineffective, and US-Colombia relations continue to be narcotized.