The Foreign Service Journal, May 2004

number of political appointees at all levels — though one suspects he would not push that particular reme- dy in the event of a Kerry victory in November. A retired FSO, Richard McKee was from 1999 to 2001 a terrorism analyst in INR, covering Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and other countries. He is now the executive director of Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired (DACOR) and the DACOR Bacon House Foundation. The views expressed here are his own. Drugs and Thugs 101 Narcotics and Terrorism: Links, Logic, and Looking Forward Robert B. Charles, Chelsea House Publishers, 2004, $22.95, hardcover, 126 pages. R EVIEWED BY J ONITA I. W HITAKER Narcotics and Terrorism: Links, Logic, and Looking Forward is the third volume in the series “Securing the Nation: Issues in American Na- tional Security Since 9/11.” This com- pact text is aimed at young readers and provides a concise overview of two related threats to national securi- ty: narcotics trafficking and terrorism — and of U.S. efforts to defuse them. It serves as an effective call to action to deny terrorism its means of sup- port, including illegal narcotics traf- ficking proceeds. The author, Robert B. Charles, is assistant secretary of State for interna- tional narcotics and law enforcement affairs. He previously served as staff director and counsel to the House National Security Subcommittee, as well as chief staffer to the Speaker’s Task Force on Counternarcotics. He identifies common elements of terror- ist organizations and details the modus operandi of several major groups, including al-Qaida, al-Jihad, Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Shining Path. For each, Charles charges that narcotics proceeds and money laun- dering are key to their operations and continued existence. Addressing what he calls the “American addiction,” Charles focus- es on U.S attitudes and practices with respect to narcotics. While drug use and addiction are driven by availabili- ty, purity, price and cultural norms, he argues that effective education and leadership can make a substantial dif- ference in reducing drug use and the flow of drug revenues to terrorists. Charles quotes the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy as stating that roughly half of the world’s 28 major terrorist organi- zations are funded by illegal drug sales. To further crystallize this link- age, he describes areas where geogra- phy joins terrorism and drug traffick- ing, such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Central Asian republics, where al- Qaida and heroin co-exist, and Colombia, Peru and Bolivia, where the FARC, ELN, and other organiza- tions are found alongside cocaine pro- duction. Tracing money used by ter- rorist organizations back to drug traf- ficking provides evidence of this link. Charles notes that the conver- gence between terrorists and drug traffickers is growing. Drug availabil- ity is increasing, leading to higher purity and greater profits. This dynamic should bring a new sense of urgency to international cooperation to combat the nexus. Instead, while the tragedy of 9/11 led to a height- ened interest in countering terrorism, that trend has not been paralleled by similar attention to the narcotics side of the equation. This, in turn, has led to wider societal damage, including growing emergency and long-term health care costs, the need for increased law enforcement, environ- mental degradation, and impaired labor productivity. Legalization is not the answer, Charles contends. That approach would only result in increased use as drugs become less expensive, access grows easier, and social stigma against use decreases. But there are other options to attack the problem: drug prevention education, better law enforcement and border protection, stronger international cooperation, and more and better medical treat- ment. However, these approaches are no substitute for rising to the chal- lenge of combating narcotics and ter- rorism while respecting human rights and observing laws. Overall, Charles’ lucid depiction of the narcotics-terrorism linkage and the need to take action to dismantle it are the book’s strong suits. While it is clear from his exposition that it is nec- essary to attack illegal narcotics traf- ficking to fight terrorism, it is less apparent that this approach is suffi- cient without also addressing other root causes of terrorism, such as a lack of economic opportunities, unfulfilled expectations, and the tumult of living in traditional societies caught unpre- pared by global changes. Recent 66 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / M A Y 2 0 0 4 B O O K S Charles’ lucid depiction of the narcotics- terrorism linkage and the need to take action to dismantle it are the book’s strong suits.