Trafficking: Humans/Drugs/Arms

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

The globalized economy inevitably leads to the expansion of the illicit economy. Contrary to the common assumption that trafficking in humans, drugs, and weapons takes place only in weak states with corrupt law-enforcement personnel, in reality both weak and strong economies are linked to global criminal activities. This course explores the phenomenon of combatting illicit drugs that are harvested in weaker economies but consumed in wealthier societies, while arms are manufactured in industrialized nations and smuggled to conflict zones. Humans, in the meantime, are sold for labor and sexual exploitation across all societies, independent of economic wealth. A large part of the course will be dedicated to understanding how and why various forms of trafficking overlap. Taking case studies from ISIS in the Maghreb to Cartel Jalisco in Mexico and MS-13 in greater Washington, DC, this course will challenge students to compare and contrast characteristics of criminal and terrorist activities, the growing intersection between drugs and human trafficking, and the inevitable role of states, both weak and strong, in facilitating illicit activity. To understand how violence and illicit activity are related, the course will also dig deeper with discussions of the human condition as embedded in complex social relationships and institutions. For instance, to understand the phenomenon of human trafficking on a micro level – why humans exploit other humans – the course will draw from literature on colonialism and social stratification. To understand the phenomenon of criminal behavior, the course will examine which pathways push radicalization into violent behavior. Finally, the course will explore why some forms of terror, like the disappearance or disfigurement of a human body, are particularly widespread in illicit economies. Incorporating these sociological dimensions will allow for more informed academic inquiry into security and trafficking and deliberate policy recommendations. The course has a strong policy dimension, and students will be required to formulate policy recommendations to alleviate societies from illicit activities, both in the United States and in other parts of the world. During the first half of the course, students will learn about various forms of trafficking and transnational illicit activity. In the second half, students will examine transnational trends – from smuggling humans, drugs, and arms on the U.S.-Mexican border, to terrorism financing by ISIS, and the global offshore financial markets offering to launder money. By the end of the semester, students will focus on their own policy proposals for curbing trafficking and security based on an in-depth case study.