Transnational Politics

Transnational Politics

Drug trafficking: The power of network analysis

Today Columbian drug cartels: a myth?

The ‘kingpins’ and ‘drug lords’: How to frame and mobilize for a ‘war on drugs’

What can the study of NGOs and TANs (Keck/Sikkink) contribute to our understanding of drug trafficking?

Readings: From the bottom-up: Michael Kenney, ‘The Architecture of Drug

Trafficking: network Forms of Organization in the Colombian Cocaine Trade’

From the top-down: World Drug Report, 2007

Wednesday, 2/13/2008Hans Peter Schmitz

The Cartel: a myth?

Key argument: Not vertically organized ‘cartels,’ but small, independent and networked suppliers dominate the drug trade.

Myth of powerful, coordinated price-fixing and strategic planning.

Method: Interviews with law enforcement/traffickers.


Four sections

Kenney, p. 236 First section: Literature on criminal networks

Organizational/social network analysis Second section: Empirical example of the Columbian

case Wheel and chain networks

Third section: Rules of drug trafficking Routines and experience

Fourth section: Individual participation in the networks


1. Theory: Network analysis

Shared norms and customs. Fluid networks based on kinship, not hierarchy or formal

organization (see Keck/Sikkink). Social network analysis.

Focus on individuals’ relational ties. Leads to more transnational ties across societies. Increased connectivity: decreased costs of communication.

Organizational network analysis. Focus on groups and cooperation across organizations.


Individuals and groups

Compare Kenney to Keck/Sikkink: Social network analysis: explains why

individuals participate in networks (shared norms; K/S: who is part of a TAN?).

Organizational network analysis: explains how groups cooperate (K/S: how does a TAN produce a campaign?)


2. Empirical case: Columbian networks

The dilemma (241): Information-sharing is necessary, but increases the risk of exposure (to competitors and law enforcement).

Why networks do better (than hierarchies and markets) in addressing this dilemma:

Better than hierarchies: looser structure, decentralized decision-making, better chances of survival.

Better than markets: more enforcement power and control based on family and other ties.


What integrates networks?

Shared experiences, communication, and trust (242):

TANs: principles such as human rights. Illicit networks: Economic gain, social ties.

Inter-group networks: producers > processors > exporters > distributors > money launders > etc. Inter-personal networks: create trust and reciprocity, lower chances of ‘free-riding,’ sharing of knowledge.


Wheel and chain networks

Organizational analysisWheel (hub, star) networks, 243: A core group has

superior capabilities and control. Mode: contract out services.

Advantage: better coordination and more power to corrupt officials.

Disadvantage: vulnerable to ‘head hunting’ Chain networks, 244: No core group and coordination

from a center. Advantage: greater insulation of individual groups. Disadvantage: less powerful and less capable to deal with

internal dissent.


3. The Rules of Drug Trafficking p. 249: How do ‘flat’ networks actually work?

Illicit networks, just like TANs, frequently operate in hostile environments. Rules are significant tools to regulate behavior, but rarely written

down. Inter-subjective understandings (compare to def. of norms) Information politics (K/S): Expertise matters. Symbolic politics (K/S): Without written rules, symbols, stories, and

social interaction dominate networks.


4. Individual participation

Secrecy requires steady supply of new participants. How individuals get involved:

Based on family or other social ties. Gradual inclusion based on reciprocity and trust. Based on experience in trafficking in a non-drug related

field. How to get out (p. 255)

Retirement. Involuntary expulsion. Arrest and death.


Conclusions: An answer?

If the ‘kingpin’ strategy has failed, what is Kenney’s recommendations in dealing with illicit drugs as a transnational problem?

If Kenney’s analysis is correct, what does this mean for U.S. foreign and domestic drug policies?

Looking ahead to the presentations: Supply vs. demand-driven approaches to illicit drugs. Pros and cons of legalization.


Transnational Politics

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