Illicit markets, weak states and violence: Iraq and Mexico
This article focuses on drug trafficking violence in Mexico and on those elements of the violence in Iraq which are related to competition for the control over smuggling of oil and other largely licit commodities. It suggests that the broader context is critical, while the nature of the commodity -...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2009
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| In: |
Crime, law and social change
Year: 2009, Volume: 52, Issue: 3, Pages: 323-336 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Keywords: |
| Summary: | This article focuses on drug trafficking violence in Mexico and on those elements of the violence in Iraq which are related to competition for the control over smuggling of oil and other largely licit commodities. It suggests that the broader context is critical, while the nature of the commodity - and in particular whether it is prohibited or simply a legal commodity that is stolen and diverted to both domestic and international black markets - is not the major determinant of the level of violence. Both Mexico and Iraq suffer from transitional violence (arrangements for criminal activity which were dominated by the state have broken down), are characterized by anomie and a culture of lawlessness, have a surfeit of specialists in violence along with the ready availability of weapons, and are afflicted by high levels of corruption. In Mexico the violence has centered around the control of drug routes and strategic warehouses on the Mexico-United States border as well as control of local retail markets; in the southern province of Basra in Iraq the violence has centered on control of oil smuggling. While some of the violence has targeted state authorities it also reflects the fragmentation of criminal organizations. |
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| Item Description: | Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 335-336 |
| ISSN: | 1573-0751 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10611-009-9194-0 |