This book takes the reader into a thorny world of political dysfunction. The contributions to State of Corruption, State of Chaos speak to some of the most potent security threats facing us in the twenty-first century, and examine the degree to which our inability or unwillingness to curb the spread of political corruption may be responsible. Within this volume are unique contributions to the rich and growing literature on corruption and conflict, addressing a variety of issues germane to both domestic affairs and international relations. They each seek to dissect the often convoluted and contestable connections between corruption and conflict. Joining the quest to develop a coherent research programme, contributors undertake to explore social and political implications for various policy-making levels. The edited volume will serve as a particularly useful reference for practitioners, as well as for professors and students of public administration and public policy, international relations, international law, comparative politics, security studies, and conflict resolution. Political corruption and armed conflict touches nearly every aspect of our lives, and so the pursuit of a healthier society, state, and international community requires being informed about theoretical and empirical bases of these current challenges.

The planet is currently experiencing alarming levels of species loss caused in large part by intensified poaching and wildlife trafficking driven by expanding demand, for medicines, for food, and for trophies. Affecting many more species than just the iconic elephants, rhinos, and tigers, the rate of extinction is now as much as 1000 times the historical average and the worst since the dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago. In addition to causing irretrievable biodiversity loss, wildlife trafficking also poses serious threats to public health, potentially triggering a global pandemic. The Extinction Market explores the causes, means, and consequences of poaching and wildlife trafficking, with a view to finding ways of suppressing them. Vanda Felbab-Brown travelled to the markets of Latin America, South and South East Asia, and eastern and southern Africa, to evaluate the effectiveness of various tools, including bans on legal trade, law enforcement, and interdiction; allowing legal supply from hunting or farming; alternative livelihoods; anti- money-laundering efforts; and demand reduction strategies. This is an urgent book offering meaningful solutions to one of the world's most pressing crises.

Over the past two years, the Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) and the University of Pittsburgh Matthew B. Ridgway Center for International Security Studies (Center for Latin American Studies and Office of the Provost) have conducted two conferences: The first was entitled "Drug Trafficking, Violence, and Instability in Mexico, Colombia, and the Caribbean: Implications for U.S. National Security," and the second was "Violent Armed Groups: A Global Challenge." Keynote speakers for the first conference were: Bruce Bagley, Professor and Chair, Department of International Studies, University of Miami and Director, University of Miami's Center of Latin American Studies, who addressed "What Can the Mexican State Do to Combat Organized Crime?"; and Jorge Chabat, Professor/Investigator, Centro de Investigacion y Docencia Economicas (Center for Research and Teaching in Economics), who discussed "The Drug War in Mexico: Dilemmas and Options." Speakers for the second conference included Dr. Robert Mandel, Professor of International Affairs at Lewis & Clark College, and John Robb, author of the book Brave New War. Dr. Mandel addressed "Global Security Upheaval: Armed Non-State Groups as Stability Enhancers," and Mr. Robb addressed "The Bazaar of Violence." The conference sponsors found the presentations at the two conferences to be sufficiently complementary to combine them in a series of monographs under the main title of Violent Armed Groups. Specific monographs within the series will have subtitles encompassing groups of works selected from among the presentations by the four keynote speakers and over 40 panelists. The introduction to this first monograph, "Drug Trafficking, Violence, and Instability," will serve to: (1) introduce the series by providing general conceptions of the global security challenges posed by violent armed groups; (2) identify the issues of greatest import to scholars studying the phenomenon; and, (3) emphasize the need for the U.S. Government to understand variations in the challenges it faces from a wide range of potential enemies. In this first report, Dr. Phil Williams and Dr. Vanda Felbab-Brown provide the strategic context for the series and highlight many of the issues that will be addressed in more detail by authors of subsequent monographs in the series. SSI is pleased to offer this report in fulfillment of its mission to assist U.S. Army and Department of Defense senior leaders and strategic thinkers in understanding the key issues of the day.

Key Insights from the conference included: (1) The relationships between powerful criminal groups and states are complex and create transnational issues of corruption and the production, transportation, marketing, and consumption of illegal products and services that have national security implications for most states in the Western Hemisphere. (2) The Colombian government has successfully responded to challenges from the FARC and several criminal groups, but the challengers have responded with adaptations that ensure their survival. The persistence of these security challenges continue to cause concern over the intersection of drugs and terror. (3) Mexico has experienced an increase in organized criminal violence in several of its states; much of the violence is associated with drug trafficking and associated illegal activity. Counterintuitively, some areas sustain high levels of illegal activity without high levels of...