Resistance and responses of civil society to drug trafficking and its influence on politics

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47961/2145194X.737
Keywords: Drug trafficking, civil society, Latin America, NGO, public policies, social cohesion
Abstract Authors Downloads References How to Cite

Abstract

This article aims to examine the resistance strategies against drug trafficking implemented by civil society in Latin America, including non-governmental organizations (NGO) as key actors within this group. Through a systematic literature review, qualitative and quantitative studies addressing the resistance of these actors to drug trafficking and its impact on social cohesion and democratic governance were evaluated. The results indicate that resistance strategies are diverse and multifaceted, encompassing alternative development programs, international cooperation, the use of advanced technology, and the promotion of inclusive public policies. These strategies have proven effective in reducing drug production and trafficking, enhancing security, and strengthening social cohesion. It is concluded that collaboration among governments, international organizations, and civil society (including NGO) is crucial for addressing the problem of drug trafficking in a comprehensive and sustainable manner, promoting an inclusive and participatory approach that strengthens democratic governance in Latin America.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Daniel Román-Acosta, Universidad del Zulia, Venezuela

Sociologist from the Universidad del Zulia (Venezuela) and researcher with an extensive trajectory in the academic and scientific field. His dedication and passion for research are evidenced by his participation in prominent research networks, among which are the Network of Scientific Researchers of Latin America and the Caribbean, the Iberoamerican Association of Sociologists, the Network of Researchers of Transcomplexity and the Latin American Center for Studies in Pedagogical Epistemology. She has a master's degree in Educational Innovation and has complemented her professional development with various courses in areas such as human rights, social inclusion, e-learning and leadership in institutions such as the Perea Social Foundation (Colombia), where she manages educational projects and e-learning platforms.

Fernández-Delgado, Jhan, Universidad Nacional de Cajamarca, Perú

Bachelor’s in nursing at the National University of Cajamarca (Peru), Jaén Branch. She was ranked first throughout her education. She obtained the Academic Permanence Scholarship (PRONABEC - Peru) for her high performance, courses in Santander Scholarships, Youth Volunteer Program of the Pacific Alliance - Senaju. He made academic exchanges at Uniremington (Colombia) and at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (Peru), where he expanded his knowledge and skills in the field of health. He did research internships at the University of Santiago de Chile, University of Guanajuato (Mexico). Currently he participated as a volunteer in the program “Equity in Migration and Health Policies and Practices” at The University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston, (USA).

How to Cite
Román-Acosta, D., & Fernández-Delgado, J. C. M. (2024). Resistance and responses of civil society to drug trafficking and its influence on politics. Perspectives in Intelligence Journal, 16(25), 87–112. https://doi.org/10.47961/2145194X.737

References

Aguerre, C., y Tarullo, R. (2021). Unravelling Resistance: Data Activism Configurations in Latin American Civil Society. Palabra Clave, 24(3), e2435, 1-41. https://doi.org/10.5294/pacla.2021.24.3.5

Aguinis, H., Villamor, I., Lazzarini, S. G., Vassolo, R. S., Amorós, J. E., y Allen, D. G. (2020). Conducting management research in Latin America: why and what’s in it for you? Journal of Management, 46(5), 615-636. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206320901581

Álvarez-Velasco, C. M. (2022). Organizaciones no gubernamentales en América Latina: control de armas de fuego y reducción de la violencia armada. Anuario de Derecho, Comercio Internacional, Seguridad y Políticas Públicas, 1(1), 80-101. https://doi.org/10.20983/anuariocicj.2022.07

Amorós, J. E., Leiva, J.C, Bonomo, A., y Sosa-Varela, J. C. (2021). Guest editorial: the entrepreneurship challenges in Latin America. European Business Review, 33(6), 837-848. https://doi.org/10.1108/ebr-10-2021-0225

Aschner, J. P., y Montero, J. C. (2020). Architectures, spaces, and territories of illicit drug trafficking in Colombia and Mexico. Crime, Media, Culture: An International Journal, 17(3), 327 - 351. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741659020910212

Bahamón-Jara, M. L., Cujabante-Villamil, X. A., y Durán-Montaño, A. C. (2021). Un estudio comparado de las reformas del sector seguridad y las relaciones civiles-militares en Perú, Chile, El Salvador y Guatemala. En Sello Editorial ESMIC (Ed.), Gobernanza y transformación del sector seguridad y defensa: Lecciones y retos para Colombia (Primera Ed, pp. 147-174). https://doi.org/10.21830/9789585350601

Blume, L. R. (2021). Narco Robin Hoods: Community support for illicit economies and violence in rural Central America. World Development, (143). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105464

Blume, L. R. (2022). Collusion, Co-Optation, or Evasion: The Politics of Drug Trafficking Violence in Central America. Comparative Political Studies, 55(8), 1366-1402. https://doi.org/10.1177/00104140211066218

Bohigues, A., y Fernández-i-Marín, X. (2021). Drug legalization, elite support, and government effectiveness in Latin America. Journal of Drug Issues, 52(2), 250-267. https://doi.org/10.1177/00220426211055434

Bolaños, N. P., Saucedo-Acosta, E. J., y Del Callejo-Canal, D. D. (2020). Inequality, social capital, and varieties of capitalism in Latin America. Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, 34(1), 1583 - 1602. https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2020.1844583

Buzan, B. (2007). People, States y Fear: An Agenda for International Security Studies in the Post-Cold War Era. Colchester: European Consortium for Political Research

Cáceres, I. (2022). Reincorporando la religión en la comprensión de la cohesión social en Latinoamérica. Revista Temas Sociológicos, (30), 137-167. https://doi.org/10.29344/07196458.30.3194

Correa-Ortiz, D. (2022). La narcocultura como objeto de estudio. Escritos, 30(65), 183–212. https://doi.org/10.18566/escr.v30n65.a02

Cuadros-Blanco, J. L., y Ramírez-Narváez, J. (2023). El rol del Ejército Nacional de Colombia, desde el año 2010, con respecto al conflicto ambiental. Perspectivas en Inteligencia, 15(24), 87-114. https://doi.org/10.47961/2145194X.658

Cujilán, M., Ballesteros-Gallo, S., y Botero-Mendoza, L. (2024). Empoderando comunidades: obstáculos y oportunidades en la reconstrucción a través de alianzas estratégicas. Revista Multidisciplinaria Voces de América y El Caribe, 1(1), 27-46. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10637646

Daza-Hernández, Y. C. (2018). Paradojas de la preservación: Sierra de la Macarena y conflicto armado en Colombia. Análisis de riesgo ambiental en el posconflicto. Perspectivas en Inteligencia, 10(19), 125-139. https://doi.org/10.47961/2145194X.56

De Souza, N. M. F., y Rodrigues-Selis, L. M. (2022). Violencia de género y resistencia feminista en América Latina. Revista Feminista Internacional de Política, 24(1), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616742.2021.2019483

Devine, J. A., Wrathall, D., Currit, N., Tellman, B., y Langarica, Y. R. (2018). Narco‐Cattle Ranching in Political Forests. Antipode. https://doi.org/10.1111/ANTI.12469

Diakova, L. (2022a). Civil society and educational development: the Latin American experience. Mirovaia Ekonomika i Mezhdunarodnye Otnosheniia, 66(2), pp.101-111 https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2022-66-2-101-111

Diakova, L. (2022b). Latin American civil society facing the challenges of the time and the practice of social solidarity in the period of COVID-19. Latinskaia Amerika, (1), 6-22. https://doi.org/10.31857/S0044748X0018048-1

Djindan, M., Bayu Muh. Kamim, A., y Harjanto, I. (2021). The politics of civil society forms. PCD Journal, 9(1), 47-63. https://doi.org/10.22146/pcd.v9i1.1974

Durán-Martínez, A. (2020). Illicit drugs and organized crime in Latin America: New scholarship and the future of alternative policies. En X. Bada y L. Rivera-Sánchez (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of Latin America (En línea, pp. 782-799). Oxford Academic. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190926557.013.43

Espejo, M. P. (2021). Narcotráfico en Colombia: la nueva guerra civil en contra de la democracia y de la construcción de paz. Co-herencia, 18(34), 157–192. https://doi.org/10.17230/co-herencia.18.34.6

Espinosa-Bejerano, S. (2020). Cuba, Estados Unidos y el enfrentamiento al narcotráfico: vaivenes de una cooperación necesaria. Cuadernos Iberoamericanos, 8(4), 54-64. (In Esp.) https://doi.org/10.46272/2409-3416-2020-8-4-54-64

Feldmann, A. E., y Luna, J. P. (2023). Criminal Politics and Botched Development in Contemporary Latin America. Cambridge Elements in the Politics of Development. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108955461

Flom, H. (2022). The Informal Regulation of Criminal Markets in Latin America. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009170710

Flores-Márquez, D., Morales-Carbajal, J. A., y Hernández-Pérez, C. S. (2021). Un mapeo de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil y los grupos activistas en Guanajuato, México. Región y Sociedad, 33(e1413), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.22198/rys2021/33/1413

Gambina, J. C. (2016). Marx: la crítica a la enseñanza universitaria de la economía política. Argumentum, 8(2), 153-166. https://doi.org/10.18315/argumentum.v8i2.11845

Gómez, A. (2021). Lucha contra el narcotráfico en América Latina-Caribe. La labor de la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA). CUPEA Cuadernos de Política Exterior Argentina, (133), 115-116. https://doi.org/10.35305/cc.vi133.114

Gómez-García, A., y Medina-Franco, J. L. (2022). Progress and impact of latin american natural product databases. Biomolecules, 12(9), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202208.0230.v1

Gómez-Gómez, A. (2002). La primera constitución del Estado Federal de Santander. Concepto de libertad y autoridad. Reflexión Política, 4(8), 200-203. https://doi.org/10.29375/01240781.791

Guerra-Molina, R. A., y Badillo-Sarmiento, R. (2021). Desecuritización y securitización del narcotráfico en el marco del Acuerdo de Paz en Colombia. URVIO. Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios de Seguridad, (29), 8-27. https://doi.org/10.17141/urvio.29.2021.4415

Ibarra-Padilla, A. M., y Rojas-Reyes, C. (2022). Estrategias contra el narcotráfico en Colombia en el marco del acuerdo de paz. Análisis Político, 34(103), 90-108. https://doi.org/10.15446/anpol.v34n103.101496

Kitchenham, B. A. (2004). Procedures for performing systematic reviews. Keele, UK: Keele University. https://www.inf.ufsc.br/~aldo.vw/kitchenham.pdf

Koendjbiharie, S. R. (2020). The distinct value of humanities students to employers in student consultancy projects. Industry and Higher Education, 34(4), 247-262. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950422220909795

Kronick, D. (2020). Profits and Violence in Illegal Markets: Evidence from Venezuela. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 64(7-8), 1499-1523. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022002719898881

Labate, B. C., y Rodrigues, T. (2023). The impacts of the drug war on Indigenous Peoples in Latin America: An overview. Journal of Psychedelic Studies, 7(1), 48-57. https://doi.org/10.1556/2054.2023.00239

Luna-Galván, M., Luong, H. T., y Astolfi, E. (2021). El narcotráfico como crimen organizado: comprendiendo el fenómeno desde la perspectiva trasnacional y multidimensional. Revista de Relaciones Internacionales, Estrategia y Seguridad, 16(1), 199-212. https://doi.org/10.18359/ries.5412

Manchego-Cárdenas, C. (2020). Luchar contra el narcotráfico. Comunicación política electoral sobre las drogas ilícitas en argentina. Austral Comunicación, 9(2), 481-518. https://doi.org/10.26422/aucom.2020.0902.man

Minsky, H. P. (2019). Los factores financieros en la teoría económica del capitalismo. El Trimestre Económico, 86(344), 1071–1092. https://doi.org/10.20430/ete.v86i344.889

Molina-Fernández, A. J., Feo-Serrato, M. L., y Serradilla-Sánchez, P. (2023). El papel de las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil (OSC) en el Plan de Acción Español sobre drogas: fortalezas percibidas y propuestas de mejora. Health and Addictions: Salud y Drogas, 23(1), 103-116. https://doi.org/10.21134/haaj.v23i1.700

Monllor-Montañana, L., y Cancelado-Franco, H. (2022). Fronteras porosas y narcotráfico: una problemática de orden transnacional entre Perú y Colombia. Perspectivas en Inteligencia, 13(22), 63-74. https://doi.org/10.47961/2145194X.271

Mouly, C., Hernández-Delgado, E. y Giménez, J. (2019). Reintegración social de excombatientes en dos comunidades de paz en Colombia. Análisis Político, 32(95), 3-22. https://doi.org/10.15446/anpol.v32n95.80822

Moya-Salazar, J., Nuñez, E., Jaime-Quispe, A., Zuñiga, N., Loaiza-Barboza, I. L., Balabarca, E. A., Chicoma-Flores, K., Cañari, B., y Contreras-Pulache, H. (2022). Substance Use in Healthcare Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Latin America: a Systematic Review and a Call for Reports. Substance Abuse: Research and Treatment, 16, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1177/11782218221085592 PMid:35369382 PMCid:PMC8968975

Nieto, L. L., y Morini, C. (2014). Rumbo a un redireccionamiento de las políticas de drogas en América: la posibilidad de construcción de alternativas desde una perspectiva subregional suramericana. Brazilian Journal of International Relations, 3(3), 481-502. https://doi.org/10.36311/2237-7743.2014.v3n3.p481-502

Núñez de Prado-Clavell, S., y Martínez-Peláez, A. (2023). Latin American strategies to improve the fight against drugs. Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, 20(3), 26-37. https://doi.org/10.33423/jlae.v20i3.6427

Núñez-de-Prado-Clavell, S., y Rodríguez-Abengózar, J. (2022). La estrategia de la ONU y la Unión Europea contra las redes transatlánticas del narcotráfico. Revista Científica General José María Córdova, 20(37), 71–88. https://doi.org/10.21830/19006586.864

Pastrana-Buelvas, E., y Vera, D. (2018). Herramientas teóricas para comprender la multidimensionalidad del problema de las drogas ilícitas en América Latina. En E. Pastrana-Buelvas y H. Gehring (Eds.), La problemática del tráfico ilícito de drogas: impactos regionales y globales (pp. 21-56). Bogotá: Editorial Pontificia Universidad Javeriana y Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv19qmdw0

Pérez-Díaz, M. y Díaz-Ramos, A. (2022). Las masacres de migrantes en tránsito y la tolerancia estatal mexicana. Ciencia Ergo Sum, 29(3). https://doi.org/10.30878/ces.v29n3a10

Petticrew, M., y Roberts, H. (2006). Systematic reviews in the social sciences: A practical guide. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470754887 PMCid:PMC2577369

Picq, M. L. (2020). Resistance to Extractivism and Megaprojects in Latin America. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.1742

Pobutsky, A. B. (2020). Pablo Escobar and Colombian Narcoculture. Gainesville, FL: Florida Scholarship Online. https://doi.org/10.5744/florida/9781683401513.003.0001

Pugh, J. D. (2018). Tejiendo redes de activismo transnacional: el balance entre estrategias internacionales y locales en la construcción de capacidades para la acción no violenta en América Latina. Middle Atlantic Review of Latin American Studies, 2(1), 145-160. https://doi.org/10.23870/marlas.194

Ramírez-Benítez, E., y Velasco-Forero, G. E. (2022). La Acción Integral y la evolución de las relaciones civiles-militares en el Ejército colombiano. En T. L. Fonseca-Ortiz, E. A. Castro Aldana & J. F. Díaz Burgos, Emprendimiento social, innovación y Derechos Humanos: Una perspectiva desde la Acción Integral (pp. 75-99). Sello Editorial ESMIC. https://librosesmic.com/index.php/editorial/catalog/book/89 https://doi.org/10.21830/9786289514605.05

Rivera, M. (2020). Drugs, Crime, and Nonstate Actors in Latin America. Latin American Politics and Society, 62(4), 153-162. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27116355 https://doi.org/10.1017/lap.2020.19

Rodrigues, T., Carvalho, J., y Policarpo, F. (2022). Brasil y el Drug Policy Framework (DPF): una propuesta teórica para el análisis de las políticas de drogas en las américas (estudio de caso: 1951-1961). Diálogos Latinoamericanos, 30, 1-23. https://doi.org/10.7146/dl.v30i.127365

Sánchez, G. (2020). Victimization, Offending and Resistance in Mexico: Toward Critical Discourse and Grounded Methodologies in Organized Crime Research. Victims & Offenders, 15(3), 390-393. https://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2020.1718048

Sánchez-Pájaro, A. (2023) Public Health Professionals in Latin America Should Play a More Active Role in Tackling Drug Violence. International Journal of Public Health, 68, 1-2. https://doi.org/10.3389/ijph.2023.1605245 PMid:37234943 PMCid:PMC10206062

Sierra, J. (2018). La cuarta hélice y la financiación de la innovación. Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Science, 23(45), 128-137. https://doi.org/10.1108/jefas-01-2018-0014

Thomas, Z. (2022). Mujeres Guerreras: negotiating women’s empowerment in Colombia. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 52(4), 514-536. https://doi.org/10.1177/08912416221126519

Tranfield, D., Denyer, D., y Smart, P. (2003). Towards a methodology for developing evidence-informed management knowledge by means of systematic review. British Journal of Management, 14(3), 207-222. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.00375

Verrier, M. (2020). Cutting the Flow: Argentina as a Success Case against Drug Trafficking 2016-2019, Journal of Illicit Economies and Development, 2(1), 21-28. https://doi.org/10.31389/jied.61

Vilks, A., y Kipāne, A. (2023). Criminal economy of Cuba, Venezuela, and Colombia: Structure, intersection points, profitability assessment. Scientific Bulletin of Mukachevo State University Series “Economics”, 10(1), 49-57. https://doi.org/10.52566/msu-econ1.2023.049

Weerth, C. (2020). Cocaine Smuggling by Help of Nacro-Submarines from South America to Africa and Europe: A Call for a Higher Awareness of an Existing Smuggling Pathway. Customs Scientific Journal, 10(1), 33-49. https://ssrn.com/abstract=3756324 https://doi.org/10.32836/2308-6971/2020.2.5

Wrathall, D. J., Devine, J., Aguilar-González, B., Benessaiah, K., Tellman, E., Sesnie, S., Nielsen, E., Magliocca, N., McSweeney, K., Pearson, Z., Ponstingel, J., Rivera-Sosa, A., y Dávila, A. (2020). The impacts of cocaine-trafficking on conservation governance in Central America. Global Environmental Change-human and Policy Dimensions, 63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2020.102098

Zúñiga-Rodríguez, L. (2020). La captura del Estado peruano por el narcotráfico: El caso de los ‘cuello blanco del puerto’. Revista de Estudios en Seguridad Internacional, 6(2), 175-191. https://doi.org/10.18847/1.12.10

Published
2024-12-19
Issue
Vol. 16 No. 25 (2024)
Section
Articles

Copyright (c) 2024 Perspectives in Intelligence Journal

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Altmetric