Introduction
The topic of international drug trafficking has attracted the attention of many researchers around the globe who have tried to analyze the arguments for the issue and the solutions that can be applied to solve the menace. Various researchers have agreed that international drug trafficking harms humanity in multifaceted ways. Firstly, the physical and emotional effects reported among the drug abusers in the modern community can be blamed on the rise in international trafficking for the drugs. The moral decay is the other aspect of the society that has mostly been blamed on the significant increase in the drug trafficking cases across the globe. Moral decay may involve the erosion of the highly regarded societal values among the young people who resort to illegal means of earning money to obtain the drugs. That leads to a rise in the cases of insecurity (Franz, 2016). To counteract the problem of international drug trafficking, governments have to implement policies such as education to the youth, the arrest of the drug cartels, discussing the problem of drug trafficking openly with society members of all ages.
Outline of the Argument and Solution
Background Information
The roots of illegal drug trafficking in the various countries have been entrenched deep in the various political, economic, and social problems that exist in various countries. The history of the present-day illegal trafficking stems from a past of similar problems or those that involve low socioeconomic statuses (Michels, 2009). At present, illegal drug trafficking comprised of around ten percent of the total world trade, as Michels (2009) explains. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime predicts that there are almost two hundred million users of illegal drugs in today's world. The basis of illegal drug trafficking has been reported to affect humanity from an economic perspective (Michels, 2009). The US government alone spends forty billion dollars every year to counteract the use of illegal drugs in the country.
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The lucrativeness of the illegal drug trafficking since its history created an enabling environment for the spread of the vice across the globe. However, international drug trafficking may soon come to a standstill as the International Criminal Court (ICC) tightens its measures and punishment for the leading drug cartels in the world (Howard-Hassmann, 2012). With the increase in human rights concerns, new threats to the wellness of humanity are being unearthed, and the need to counteract them increases (Howard-Hassmann, 2012). The ICC has been concerned with such challenges, which are exacerbated by the increase in the trafficking of the drugs on an international level.
Why International Drug Trafficking is a Societal Problem
Many researchers have identified that drug trafficking is a societal problem. Affinnih (2002) explores the effects of international drug trafficking in the sub-Saharan African countries on the societies. The countries have been faced with social, health, and economic costs, coupled with the ineffective drug control policies implemented in the affected countries (Affinnih, 2002). The problem of international drug trafficking can be viewed from different societal perspectives in the sub-Saharan African countries. The researcher implies that the problem of illegal international drug trafficking affects sub-Saharan societies from various perspectives (Affinnih, 2002). The problems range from the integration of the sub-Saharan African countries being integrated into the global political economies, which are increasingly based on international drug trafficking.
Various powerful nations have been accused of fueling the drug trafficking operations that take place in third world countries. The result is the endless suffering and denial of human rights for the citizens of such countries. An example is a case involving the role of the US in Colombia, which has mostly shifted from the fight with communist guerilla groups to the attention of international drug trafficking. Reportedly, the US has been accelerating the growth of drug trafficking cases in Colombia while masked under the newly declared war on terror in the country. Therefore, the problem of international drug trafficking continues to affect the societies that live in Colombia. The counter-insurgency efforts in Colombia have led to the development of a strategy to fight terrorism under the façade of democracy. The researchers have called the situation "terrorocracy." Terrorocracy continues to negatively affect the Colombian residents as they struggle with the international drug trafficking menace.
Perspectives from Multiple Disciplines
The competition of power among the cartels in drug trafficking on an international level affects the various societies across the globe from multiple disciplines (Sanchéz-Avilés & Ditrych, 2018). The international drug control regime (IDCR) presents a combination of the powers to reduce the trafficking of illegal drugs and substances and has evoked the interest of the various members of society. The older members of the society believe that the IDCR ought to be more active in the fight against cartels from powerful nations that have accelerated the supply of drugs to the global market (Sanchéz-Avilés & Ditrych, 2018). The cartels, therefore, have solicited the reactions of the older members of the society, and the moral decay may exacerbate if the levels of international drug trafficking are not considered.
The eradication of the issue of international drug trafficking involves all the members of the society in all the member states that are affected by the menace (Bokeriya, 2019). However, the level of cooperation, such as among the political leaders or influential political parties in the various countries, has failed in the war against drugs on their streets, which has seen a rapid increase in international drug trafficking activities (Bokeriya, 2019). From a scholarly perspective, the rise in the trafficking activities has primarily affected the students mostly in the institutions of higher learning, and the professionals in the different sectors of life.
Proposed Solutions
One of the solutions that have been given to address the problem of international drug trafficking is the arrest of the cartels involved. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has, for a long time, fought against the supply of drugs from various nations across the globe. The ICC has nevertheless fallen out of the US headlines, according to White (2009), and has begun to resurface on the American media. Critics have described the scenario as the US having a strategic interest in the ICC. White (2009) reports that the country might be doing so to cover up for the drug trafficking issues that have emanated from it to the rest of the world. Nonetheless, the ICC can regain its voice by handling the case of illegal drug trafficking by remaining impartial and transparent, while at the same time handpicking the drug cartels from the US.
The other solution to the problem of drug trafficking is the cooperation among the various countries in the fight against illegal drug trafficking. The solution ensures that there is no drug supply among young people and therefore helps the students and young professionals to stay away from drugs. Bokeriya (2019) describes the cooperation between Spain and Russia, which has served to reduce terrorism in both countries and the rest of the world. While the collaboration between Russia and Spain may not necessarily eliminate the threat of terrorism in totality from the world, the other countries across the globe may join the two and create coherence and a sort of cooperation (Bokeriya, 2019). The cohesion among the various countries across the globe is an advantage to the fight against international drug trafficking, which is gaining worldwide momentum.
The other solution to the burgeoning international drug trafficking problem is the promotion of human rights, according to Howard-Hassmann (2012). The promotion of human rights as a solution targets all members of the societies, especially those from the third world. The protection of human rights in various countries has continuously been updated to provide for the abolition of the illegal drug trade that has caused human suffering, such as from the notable increase in criminal activities. Howard-Hassmann (2012) also notes that there are emergent ways of dealing with the threats to human life and comfort, including the arrest and imprisonment of the critical drug dealers and international cartels who have made a killing out of business. The views of human security have been changed to include participation in international drug trafficking activities as an impediment to human security (Howard-Hassmann, 2012). The human security agencies may find it necessary to collaborate with the ICC in the inevitable fight against drug trafficking on an international scale.
The other solution to the international drug trafficking menace is the enhancement of the IDCR. The solution targets the counter insurgent strategies aimed at affecting international drug trafficking. The fight against international drug trafficking has to integrate a significant amount of dynamism to be effective. The dynamism of IDCR is contributed to by the interaction of various powers on both national and international levels. Sanchéz-Avilés and Ditrych (2018) identify the roles that the superpowers on both political and economic fronts play in the supply of the drugs at the global platform. The IDCR is as a result of critical political decisions being made regarding the fight against drug supply by cutting off the supply of the same from the cartels level (Sanchéz-Avilés & Ditrych, 2018). The enhancement of the IDCR is, therefore, the strength of the governments as they fight for the achievement of a drug-free society.
Validity, Reliability, and Biases in Research
Franz (2016) reports that in 1981, the net income derived from the sale of illegal drugs was estimated to represent around 2.4% of the total GDP of Colombia. The following is a diagrammatic representation of the same.
The net income of the illegal drug trafficking in 1994 was higher than that of 1981 in terms of the percentage of the country’s GDP. In 1994, according to Franz (2016), the sale of illegal drugs accounted for up to 3.6% of the Colombian GDP as follows.
One of the strengths of the research is that there is the availability of comparable and detailed data regarding the sale of illegal drugs within Colombia as a country which has been affected significantly by the illegal drug trafficking. The study maintains its reliability by having a statistical representation of the data regarding the sale of illegal drugs. However, the study is deficient in that it does not provide data related to the percentage of GDP in Colombia funded by illegal drugs sale in the twenty-first century.
Urbanization across the various African countries through the decades has exacerbated the problem of international drug trafficking (Affinnih, 2002). The following is a graph detailing the urbanization rates in the different parts of Africa between 1950 and 1985.
Across the four African regions under observation, the urban population grew from the 1950s to the 1980s. The growth in the urban population was listed as one of the factors that contributed to the rise in international drug trafficking (Affinnih, 2002). One of the strengths that Affinnih (2002) is able to ostentate in the study is the elaborate discussion on how the rise in urban populations was linked to the increase in the international drug trafficking in the African regions. One of the drawbacks of the research, however, is that it lacks a connection between the factors that led to rural-urban migration and the surge in the trafficking of drugs. The articulation of the research, however, is an important consideration that contributes to the credibility of the research performed by Affinnih (2002).
The cooperation between Spain and Russia to counter-terrorism has been as a result of the two nations being involved in terrorist cases in the past decade (Bokeriya, 2019). The following is the data for both countries.
The primary strength of the research lies in the ability to derive a comparison between the terrorism levels in Spain and Russia. Bokeriya (2019) offers a distinct comparison between the two countries. The main weakness of the study is that the researcher fails to provide a clear relationship between terrorism levels and the illegal drug trafficking rates. The lack of a clear link, however, reduces the credibility and reliability in the research involving the rates of international drug trafficking in the various countries.
Ethical Outcomes from the Solution
Ending the international drug trafficking menace is a positive ethical outcome from the ways mentioned earlier of dealing with the problems of drug trafficking in the twenty-first century. Researchers and critics agree that various solutions, such as the upholding of human rights, reduce the cases of international drug trafficking while reducing harm to the human race. Therefore, the solution upholds the positive ethical outcomes of the eradication of international drug trafficking menace in various countries across the globe.
The arrest and imprisonment of the leading drug cartels prove to be a negative outcome associated with the fight against international drug trafficking. Stokes (2006) suggests that the US has accelerated the current drug trafficking situation in Colombia under the disguise of the fight against terrorism in the country. Therefore, the drug cartels are empowered by powerful nations such as the US to increase the global trade of drugs. The author, therefore, feels that institutions such as the ICC should conduct a more background check on the cartels to unearth their sources of drugs before imprisoning them. The arrest of the cartels may also only affect the developing nations while the developed nations funding their activities walk free in the imbalanced law enforcement.
Conclusion
International drug trafficking is a menace that has affected many countries across the globe. Nonetheless, most of the affected nations are third world countries whose trafficking activities are funded by powerful nations such as the US. Elaborate actions have been suggested to solve the problem of drug trafficking, which has attracted an ethical point of view. The problem of international drug trafficking, according to the critics of the situation, will reduce once the relevant authorities such as governments and ICC treat the problem from the source.
References
Affinnih, Y. H. (2002). Revisiting Sub-Saharan African Countries' Drug Problems: Health, Social, Economic Costs, And Drug Control Policy. Substance Use & Misuse , 37 (3), 265-290.
Bokeriya, S. (2019). Russia-Spain Cooperation on Counter-Terrorism: New Challenges or Old Problems?. Política y Sociedad , 56 (3), 737-756.
Franz, T. (2016). Plan Colombia: Illegal Drugs, Economic Development and
Counterinsurgency–A Political Economy Analysis of Colombia's Failed War. Development Policy Review , 34 (4), 563-591.
Howard-Hassmann, R. E. (2012). Human Security: Understanding Human Rights. Hum. Rts. Q. , 34 , 88.
Michels, J. D. (2009). Keeping Dealers off the Docket: The Perils of Prosecuting Serious Drug-Related Offences at the International Criminal Court. Fla. J. Int'l L. , 21 , 449.
Sanchéz-Avilés, C., & Ditrych, O. (2018). The Global Drug Prohibition Regime: Prospects for Stability and Change in an Increasingly Less Prohibitionist World. International Politics , 55 (3-4), 463-481.
Stokes, D. (2006). ‘Iron Fists in Iron Gloves’: The Political Economy of US Terrorocracy Promotion in Colombia. The British Journal of Politics and International Relations , 8 (3), 368-387.
White, E. S. (2009). Is Participation in the ICC in the Strategic Interest of the United States. Eyes on the ICC , 6 , 43.
