Page 272 - Encyclopedia Of Terrorism

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other services necessary for drug trafficking. Countries
NARCOTERRORISM that are the source of most illegal drugs are often
extremely poor, their governments weak, and the civil
The term narcoterrorism was coined in 1983 by and social structures chaotic. In such conditions, drug
Peru’s president Belaunde Terry to describe attacks traffickers have been able to attain tremendous power
on the anti-narcotic police in that country. Even as and influence.
use of the word has spread, experts are arguing about Political activism and rebellions also increased
its definition. Some claim that narcoterrorism desig- during the 1960s, with some student and revolutionary
nates too broad a range of activities to be definitive movements giving rise to terrorist groups still operating
for a particular form of terrorism. This entry will con- today. During the Cold War (1947–1991), terrorist
sider narcoterrorism to mean forms of terrorism that groups, particularly those that advocated communism,
are linked to the production of illegal drugs, either often received funds in secret from various state spon-
through (a) the use of drug profits to fund political sors. During the 1980s, however, state sponsorship
violence or (b) the use of violence and terror to pro- of terrorism began to decline, and, with the fall of com-
tect and preserve illegal drug production. munism in Russia and Eastern Europe during the early
These two purposes may overlap: a group using 1990s, this source of funds for terrorists dried up almost
illegal drug profits to fund an armed political campaign completely. In a world dominated by a sole superpower
will need to preserve the lawlessness and atmosphere and becoming ever more interconnected via globaliza-
of fear necessary for large-scale illegal drug produc- tion, the international community found cooperation
tion. Any large drug trafficking group will also need to (e.g., passing economic sanctions) against terrorist-
influence the political climate of the country where it sponsoring states easier.
operates so that the general population fears the traf- Terrorist groups turned to other sources of rev-
fickers. Terrorism is effective in accomplishing these enue—kidnappings, hostage taking, bank robbery,
goals. and drug trafficking. Drug trafficking is quite possibly
the most profitable and reliable of these revenue
sources, and terrorist groups throughout the world
ORIGINS OF NARCOTERRORISM
engage in it.
During the tumultuous 1960s, the United States and
many other Western countries saw attitudes toward THE NARCOGUERRILLA
recreational drugs change significantly, and use of
illegal drugs increased steadily in the industrialized Narcoterrorism was first recognized in Latin America;
world. Drug sales are believed to generate $30 billion the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (known
dollars in revenue in the United States alone; this figure by its Spanish acronym, FARC) provides a typical
does not include profits from money laundering and example.

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