Lots of news this weekend about the capture of El Chapo (Joaquin Guzman) in Mexico. El Chapo was responsible for a $3 billion in revenue, 40% of illicit drugs in the US, and 80% of the illicit drugs in Chicago. The Williams article on the "transnational organized crime and the the state" would seem to apply in this case.
There are a number of interesting transnational issues in this case.
1. El Chapo's home state Mexico was unable to capture or hold him in the past. The US is worried that though he is now in custody he might once again escape or be allowed to escape as he has before.
2. The U.S. was clearly the market state for much of El Chapo's product. However, to get to Chicago required transit through several other U.S. states. Obviously not the kind of states that Williams is referring to, but nevertheless requires similar transit routes and evasion of authority.
3. El Chapo used both Cayman and Swiss bank accounts as service states launder his billions.
But this article from two week ago focuses more on the structural problems of weak states like Columbia or Mexico. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/14/opinion/mexicos-illusory-cure.html?ref=drugtrafficking
Williams doesn't really address the issue in his article, but in both Columbia and Mexico the central government has ceded authority to vigilante groups that attempt to enforce laws and protect the community from the drug cartels.
"This is what we learned in Colombia: When the state is not present, it is local tyrants
who take power and brutally impose their rules, which are nothing more than the
defense of their privileges. The old Hobbesian concept, that the natural state of
mankind is that man is a wolf to man, seems confirmed in these involuntary Latin
American anarchist experiments. The strongest and richest wolf
(from trafficking drugs or illegal mining) dominates the other wolves." (NYT 2/14)
Another interesting facet to this case is the role that U.S. played in helping Mexico capture El Chapo. The DEA provided numerous wiretaps between Mexico and the US and significant intelligence and operational expertise in Mexico that was used to help capture El Chapo. What does US/Mexican cooperation in capturing Guzman tell us about Hard-Shelled Autonomy?
Hi Amit,
ReplyDeleteGreat application of Williams article to current events. It's interesting to think about how those informal groups trying to protect communities play into the permeable/impermeable, autonomous/attunement profiles. Regarding the US/Mexican cooperation in the capturing of Guzman, I would argue that this is not an example of hard-shelled autonomy, but more of the impermeable/attunement area, or multilateral treaty. They're still staying in their own borders and areas of control, but cooperating to get something done.
Hey Amit,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you've been looking towards current events as a jumping point for the course material. All three of your points lead to an even larger inquiry of a states' ability to act on behalf of one's preservation for hard shell autonomy: Jurisdiction and Because we're dealing with drug trafficking and human rights the ICC could have some leverage in the matter. Is it the most effective? That's arguable, but another thing to consider might be how violence is often associated with large attached to the drug crimes. I'm sure the DEA has things covered but I wonder if it's possible that the ICC could view this as an extension of crimes against humanity and human dignity. They've turned down previous cases that focus on Mexican drug-trafficking.
http://justiceinmexico.org/2011/11/29/petition-filed-at-international-criminal-court-against-calderon-el-chapo/
"The ICC can open and prosecute cases that countries or governments refuse to prosecute, and will have to decide what, if any, crimes qualify as war crimes or crimes against humanity. This is a lengthy process that can take years, but the political meaning behind this petition has made international headlines. Mexico is a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the International Criminal Court, making this petition, at the very least, a powerful political statement."