Drug Politics (Hardcover: 304 pages)

Using examples from South America, Mexico, Russia, and the United States, Jordan shows that
-- the narcotics problem is not merely one of supply and demand
-- the post -- Cold War globalization process is not necessarily benign
-- the democratization of formerly autocratic states does not guarantee a new era of democratic peace,
-- organized crime is not confined to specific ethnic groups.

Jordan explains that the theory of supply-and-demand ignores or down-plays the fact that the drug trade depends on state cooperation and compliance to sustain multibillion-dollar levels of illicit global commerce. He exposes features of the globalization process that permit wealthy elites to operate outside accountable political processes and reveals how organized crime develops under political protection, becomes multiethnic, and forges transnational alliances. Jordan argues that many national and international financial systems are dependent on cash from money laundering, and some governments are far more involved in protecting than in combating criminal cartels.

Sure to stimulate debate, Drug Politics makes a strong case for a reexamination of American and international policies in the drug and culture wars.