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Abstract(s)
A criminalização do comércio de drogas, tornando-a uma atividade ilícita, surgiu no início do século XX, liderada pelos Estados Unidos da América e ampliado, a nível internacional, através da Convenção Internacional do Ópio, de 1912. Cerca de cem anos mais tarde, o narcotráfico tornou-se numa atividade global que consegue fragilizar Estados, fortalecer criminosos que obtêm lucros avultadíssimos diariamente, criando problemas de segurança internacional. Perante este cenário, os Estados têm-se dividido sobre a melhor maneira de encarar esta ameaça, adotando diferentes políticas anti narcotráfico. O caso do México torna-se, neste contexto, evidente, dado o seu tradicional historial de violência e atividades ligadas ao narcotráfico, convertendo-se num excelente caso de estudo. Como compreender as políticas anti narcotráfico aplicadas neste país, ao longo de um século, e como atestar a sua eficácia?
Para responder à questão anterior, é necessário entender que a disciplina de Relações Internacionais, área científica sobre a qual este trabalho incide, tem-se desenvolvido, em grande medida, através da criação de diferentes teorias explicativas da realidade, uma das quais a Escola de Copenhaga. Esta teoria construtivista, de um modo simples, afirma que, por nada ser exterior à interpretação humana, os atores políticos decidem encarar ou não um fenómeno como uma ameaça, o que faz com que, perante um certo fenómeno, haja uma enorme variedade de conceções a seu respeito. Além deste caráter subjetivo, esta linha de pensamento assume que as ameaças são tendencialmente regionais, uma vez que elas se manifestam mais rapidamente a curtas distâncias.
Deste modo, este trabalho propõe-se a estudar, à luz da Escola de Copenhaga, a eficácia das políticas anti narcotráfico, no México, o que pressupõe igualmente a análise dos comportamentos dos seus vizinhos, mais concretamente dos EUA e da restante América Latina. O trabalho pretende concluir que o narcotráfico é uma ameaça construída, com significados distintos para os Estados intervenientes e que, por isso, não só não se obtém um consenso político, quanto à melhor forma de o combater, como também se exige cooperação e entendimento mútuos para atingir esse objetivo.
Drug trafficking emerged, as an illegal activity, in the early 20th century. It was first criminalized by the United States of America and then by the international community through the 1912 International Opium Convention. In the 21st century drug trafficking became a global activity able to weaken states, strengthen criminals who make massive profits daily, creating an international security problem. Faced with these challenges, states have been divided on the best way to face this threat, adopting different anti-drug trafficking policies. The case of Mexico becomes a case study in this context, given its traditional history of violence and activity linked to drugs. How can one understand the anti-drug trafficking policies that have been applied in this country over a century, and how can we evaluate their effectiveness? To answer the previous question, it is necessary to understand that the subject of International Relations, the scientific area on which this work focuses, has been developed, to a large extent, through the creation of different explanatory theories of reality, one of which is the Copenhagen School. Generically, this constructivist theory states that, because nothing is external to human interpretation, political actors are the ones who decide to consider a phenomenon as a threat or not. This means that, when faced with a certain issue, there is a huge variety of conceptions about it. In addition to being subjective, this line of thought assumes that threats tend to have a significant regional impact, since they manifest more quickly over short distances. In the light of the Copenhagen School, this study aims at evaluating the effectiveness of anti-drug trafficking policies in Mexico. This also presupposes the analysis of the behavior of its neighbors, the USA and the rest of Latin America. The main output of this study is that drug trafficking is a constructed threat, with different meanings for the intervening states. Thus, as a political consensus on the best way to combat drug trafficking cannot be reached, cooperation and mutual understanding are required to achieve this goal.
Drug trafficking emerged, as an illegal activity, in the early 20th century. It was first criminalized by the United States of America and then by the international community through the 1912 International Opium Convention. In the 21st century drug trafficking became a global activity able to weaken states, strengthen criminals who make massive profits daily, creating an international security problem. Faced with these challenges, states have been divided on the best way to face this threat, adopting different anti-drug trafficking policies. The case of Mexico becomes a case study in this context, given its traditional history of violence and activity linked to drugs. How can one understand the anti-drug trafficking policies that have been applied in this country over a century, and how can we evaluate their effectiveness? To answer the previous question, it is necessary to understand that the subject of International Relations, the scientific area on which this work focuses, has been developed, to a large extent, through the creation of different explanatory theories of reality, one of which is the Copenhagen School. Generically, this constructivist theory states that, because nothing is external to human interpretation, political actors are the ones who decide to consider a phenomenon as a threat or not. This means that, when faced with a certain issue, there is a huge variety of conceptions about it. In addition to being subjective, this line of thought assumes that threats tend to have a significant regional impact, since they manifest more quickly over short distances. In the light of the Copenhagen School, this study aims at evaluating the effectiveness of anti-drug trafficking policies in Mexico. This also presupposes the analysis of the behavior of its neighbors, the USA and the rest of Latin America. The main output of this study is that drug trafficking is a constructed threat, with different meanings for the intervening states. Thus, as a political consensus on the best way to combat drug trafficking cannot be reached, cooperation and mutual understanding are required to achieve this goal.