Drugs, Insecurity and Failed States: The Problems of Prohibition

The global trade in illicit drugs is thriving, with no apparent change in global levels of consumption despite decades of prohibition. After 18-months of research, Nigel Inkster and Virginia Comolli have concluded that the present enforcement regime is not only failing to win the ‘War on Drugs’, it is also a major cause of violence and instability in producer and transit countries.

The authors assess the national and human security costs of prohibition and consider alternative approaches, concluding that the policies of the past half-century should be subject to radical review and an open debate based on empirical research. Drugs need to be taken out of their specialised silo and viewed in the context of a wider security and development agenda.

Book Launch

Panel: Nigel Inkster, Director of Transnational Threats and Political Risk, IISS and Virginia Comolli, Research Analyst, IISS

Date: Tuesday 17 April 2012

Venue: Lee Kuan Yew Conference Room, 5th Floor, Arundel House, 13-15 Arundel Street, Temple Place, London WC2R 3DX

At the launch of this new Adelphi book, Inkster and Comolli will unpack some of the key themes tackled in “Drugs, Insecurity and Failed States: The Problems of Prohibition”.

Prior to joining IISS, Nigel Inkster served in the British Secret Intelligence Service retiring as Assistant Chief and Director of Operations and Intelligence. Since joining IISS he has undertaken research on the security problems of Afghanistan and Colombia and has written and lectured on terrorism and insurgency and other non-traditional security threats.

Virginia Comolli is a Research Analyst in the Transnational Threats and Political Risk programme at IISS. She has worked as an analyst in the private security sector and since joining IISS has written on and participated in conferences on various aspects of organised crime and related security issues and well as on terrorism and conflict.

This meeting will be chaired by Dr Nicholas Redman, Senior Fellow for Geopolitical Risk and Economic Security; Managing Director, Corporate Advisory; Editor, Adelphi Books.

Please join us for tea and coffee from 12 noon.

If you would like to attend please RSVP to Charlotte Laycock.

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