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Drugs and the Financing of Terrorism

Pierre-Arnaud Chouvy / Terrorism Monitor / 2004.

The fact that the very term "narco-terrorism" appears to be too vague and counterproductive in terms of addressing either drug trafficking or terrorism - since it brings very different actors into too broad a category - has not kept most observers and politicians from resorting extensively to such a notion. Still, it is worthwhile examining the extent to which terrorism is funded by the illicit drug economy, if only to highlight the minimal role this plays in al-Qaeda's finances.

Drogues illicites, territoire et conflits en Afghanistan et en Birmanie

Pierre-Arnaud Chouvy / 2004 / Hérodote.

Le Triangle d’Or (Birmanie, Laos, Thaïlande) et le Croissant d’Or (Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan), les deux principaux espaces de production illicite d’opium en Asie et dans le monde, sont marqués par une importante superposition d’ensembles spatiaux qui, à travers des géohistoires complexes, leur ont légués autant de discontinuités, de fronts et de frontières. Dans le contexte des économies de guerre qui sont les leurs, où du nerf de la guerre l’opium en devient l’enjeu, les deux espaces se révèlent être soumis à des processus de territorialisation qui se font par, pour et même contre l’opium. Ils correspondent donc davantage à des mosaïques territoriales aux géométries et limites variables qu’à des territoires bien définis et à part entière.

De la géopolitique des drogues illicites

Pierre-Arnaud Chouvy & Laurent Laniel / 2004 / Hérodote.

Introduction du numéro 112 d'Hérodote consacré à la "géopolitique des drogues illicites".

Narco-Terrorism in Afghanistan

Pierre-Arnaud Chouvy / 2004 / Terrorism Monitor.

The illicit drug economy in Afghanistan is said to be fuelling terrorism. During a 8-9 February conference held in Kabul, Antonio Maria Costa, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), warned of "mounting evidence of drug money being used to finance criminal activities, including terrorism," and declared that "fighting drug trafficking equals fighting terrorism." Even before that, assumptions that “narco-terrorism” would be threatening Afghanistan seem to have been widely taken as fact. For instance, French Defense Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie declared in January 2003 that, "drugs are now the principal source of funding for Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network." However, the concept of narco-terrorism is itself vague, and it is unclear exactly how it applies to the current situation in Afghanistan.

Myanmar’s Wa: Likely losers in the opium war

Pierre-Arnaud Chouvy / 2003 / Asia Times.

Illicit opium production occurs predominantly in Asia, although opium and heroin are also being increasingly produced in Colombia and Mexico. While post-Taliban Afghanistan has regained its position as the first producer of illicit opium in the world (see The ironies of Afghan opium production, September 17, 2003, Asia Times), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has monitored a decline of production in Myanmar in 2003.

Opium ban risks greater insecurity for Wa in Myanmar

Pierre-Arnaud Chouvy / 2004 / Jane's Intelligence Review.

The United Wa State Party has pledged to crack down on opium production in northeast Myanmar. However, as Pierre-Arnaud Chouvy reports, ridding the area of opium without providing alternative income sources could be devastating for the majority of the Wa population.