President Richard Nixon announced the start of the drug war in the summer of 1969. About the same time, politically based terrorism emerged to challenge Western perceptions of warfare, "Vietnamization" was being implemented to disengage the United States from what had become an unpopular and divisive conflict, and the Cold War was raging full force.
Today, three decades later, ethnic and religious terrorism is at the forefront, U.S. forces are heavily involved in peacekeeping and peace-enforcement operations in the Balkans, and the Cold War has been replaced by a chaotic, politically fragmented world situation.
During this period the character and nature of the drug war has changed and evolved, but the struggle itself continues with no end in sight. Numerous victories and defeats have been chronicled. The Medellin and Cali (Colombia) cartels have been dismantled and the initial smuggling war at sea has been won, but Mexican cartels have emerged to destabilize our southern neighbor and to threaten U.S. sovereignty with the establishment of a network of methamphetamine laboratories in our southern border states.
Regular domestic drug use is down to its lowest levels in years, at about 6% of the American population as opposed to 14% in the mid-1970s to early 1980s, but 1.8 million prisoners are locked up in state and federal facilities for drug offenses, a higher per capita rate than either Russia or South Africa. Whether this war is truly being won or lost is anyone's guess. The Department of Defense, a major partner in the war, is spending about $1 billion annually on counterdrug efforts. It provides direct and indirect support to our nation's law enforcement agencies and also is engaged in its own operations to combat the distribution of illicit drugs and those organizations that promote them.
This annotated listing of web site resources on the drug war was created with these facts in mind. The sites are valuable resources concerning the drug war and are meant to be a useful companion to Russell Ramsey's review essay "Reading Up on the Drug War," which appeared in the Autumn 1995 issue of Parameters (http://carlisle-www. army. mil/usawc/Parameters/).
Before approaching these web site resources, however, a few recent books should be added to Ramsey's earlier essay to help bring it up to date:
- National Consumer Publications, Inc. Drug Identification & Symptom Manual, 1994 edition; a useful pocket reference guide to narcotics information
- Dan Baum, Smoke and Mirrors: The War on Drugs and the Politics of Failure; a critical journalistic look at "Drug War fever"
- Patrick L. Clawson and Rensselaer W. Lee III, The Andean Cocaine Industry; should be standard background reading for military personnel engaged in the drug war
- Charles M. Fuss, Jr., Sea of Grass: The Maritime Drug War 1970-1990 (published by the Naval Institute Press); chronicles Coast Guard and Customs sea war primarily against the trafficking of marijuana.
Many drug-related web sites exist, but the following are the most relevant for Sailors and Marines engaged in counterdrug operations, those researching the corruptive and violent nature of the cartels, and individuals attempting to understand the immense threat illicit drugs pose to American society. For other sites of interest, the CICAD web site found within the following listing provides the most comprehensive links available.
Web site resources:
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) (http:H/www.usdoj.gov/dea/). U.S. Department of Justice agency created in 1973. Its mission is to enforce the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States and to bring to the criminal and civil justice system of the United States or any other competent jurisdiction, those organizations and principal members of organizations involved in the growing, manufacture, or distribution of controlled substances appearing in or destined for illicit traffic in the United States; and to recommend and support non-enforcement programs aimed at reducing the availability of illicit controlled substances on the domestic and international markets. It is the lead agency for the development of overall federal drug enforcement strategy, programs, planning, and evaluation. This is a major drug war web site. Numerous publications can be accessed concerning DEA congressional testimony and intelligence reports including The Supply of Illicit Drugs to the United States. Fugitive information, contract awards, and drug-related links also present at this site.
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) (http://www.emcdda.org). One of 11 European decentralized agencies set up by the European Union (EU) to carry out specialized technical or scientific work on various subjects. Provides "objective, reliable and comparable information at European level concerning drugs, drug addiction and their consequences." Contains text of Summary & Highlights of the Annual Report (1997) on the State of Drugs Problem in the EU, the General Report (1996) of Activities, and the DrugNet Europe newsletter. Information on new Insights, Scientific Monograph Series, manuals, EU texts on drugs (CDRom) also are present along with a very useful search engine, data bases, and numerous European and International links. This is a very slick site.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Ten Most Wanted List (http://www.fbi.gov/). Digital posters of dangerous criminals including drug traffickers, terrorists and murderers. This web site provides a link to other drug trafficker fugitives wanted by the FBI.
High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) (http://www.hidta.org/). The HIDTA program was created by the AntiDrug Abuse Act of 1988, authorizing the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to designate areas of the United States as high-intensity areas. The program provides resources to areas identified as having the most critical drug-trafficking problems that affect the rest of the country. Twenty-one of these areas have been designated, including the Southwest border, Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Gulf Coast. Information concerning specific areas, the National Information Unit (which includes high-intensity area faxes), and federal and drug-related links are provided by this site maintained by the Washington/Baltimore high-intensity area. The site also incorporates a search engine.
Joint Task Force Six (JTF-6) (http:// www-jtf6.bliss.army.mil/). The mission of this task force to synchronize and integrate U.S. Department of Defense operational, technological, training, and intelligence support to counter-drug efforts to reduce the availability of illegal drugs within the continental United States. JTF6, located at Fort Bliss, Texas, was established in 1989 to focus upon the Southwest border of the United States, its area of responsibility expanded in 1995 to cover the entire country. The very professional site presents an overview of the organization, command group, mission statement, and overview. The site provides downloads of various guides and forms
Justice Information Center-Drug Policy Information (http://www.ncjrs.org/drgshome.htm). The National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) maintains this site; drug policy information is one component. The site provides access to numerous documents, including those pertaining to general resources, drug-use indicators, enforcement, policy and law, research and evaluation. It also provides news and public affairs information and contains extensive drug-policy site links and access to the Office of National Drug Control Policy web site. A powerful search engine allows for access to a virtual library containing more than 1,200 full-text publications on the Justice Information Center's site and a link to summaries of more than 145,000 criminal justice publications on the NCJRS Abstracts Database.
National Interagency Counterdrug Institute (NICI) (http://www.nici.org/). The institute is located at Camp San Luis Obispo, California, and has the mission to help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of joint civilian-military initiatives to address critical national problems. This organization directly supports the National Drug Control Strategy. It conducts interagency training on operations supported by the military, develops courses with interagency teams, facilitates interagency conferences/seminars, conducts agency advisory boards, and provides research and analysis services. Tuition-free course and publication information can be accessed at this little-known site.
Organization of American States InterAmerican Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD-English) (http://www.oas. org/). Click on "Fight Against Drugs," then click on "Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission," and finally on "English." This may seem like a lot of work—but it is an awe—inspiring site. CICAD has 32 member states. It was established by the Organization of American States (OAS) in 1986 to promote and facilitate multilateral cooperation among the member countries in the control of drug trafficking, production and use. This is one of the best drug war web sites in existence. It provides basic documents, directories, an inter-American data bank, a calendar of events, and extensive links to drug related web sites.
Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) (http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/). The principal purpose of ONDCP is to establish policies, priorities, and objectives for the nation's drug control program, the goals of which are to reduce illicit drug use, manufacturing, and trafficking; drug-related crime and violence; and drug-related health consequences. The major product of this office is the National Drug Control Strategy, which is published yearly and can be accessed at this important site. Information concerning the ONDCP Drug Policy Clearinghouse, fax-on-demand, and electronic newsletter also are provided. Numerous documents concerning conference proceedings, reports, and speeches can be obtained at this site along with enforcement information. Various links also are provided including one to images of almost three dozen pictures of drugs and drug paraphernalia.
RAND Drug Policy Research Center (http://www.rand.org/centers/dprc). The Drug Policy Research Center (DPRC) was established in 1989 to conduct the empirical research, policy analysis, and outreach needed to help community leaders and public officials develop more effective strategies for dealing with drug problems. The site contains a subject index and abstracts of all DPRC publications, the current edition of its newsletter, and links to a few of its selected publications.
United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) (http:// www.undcp.org). Its mission is to tackle the global drug problem and its consequences. Activities, press releases and drug resolutions are provided at this site along with purchase information concerning the World Drug Report (Oxford University Press).
U.S. Coast Guard Drug Interdiction (http: //www. us cg. mil/hq/g -olg opl/lawweb2/homepage.htm). Select Drug Interdiction. The Coast Guard is the lead federal agency for maritime drug interdiction and shares lead responsibility for air interdiction with the U.S. Customs Service. Drug interdiction is treated only generally within this site, which mentions Operation Frontier Shield as a proof of concept for Campaign Steel Web; it provides links to other federal agencies.
U.S. Customs Service-Anti-Drug Initiatives (http://www.customs. gov/enforcem/enforcem.htm). Click on "AntiDrug Initiatives." The site discusses the canine enforcement program, ways to report drug smuggling, the air interdiction program, and drug interdiction statistics. The site also has customized search capabilities.
U.S. Department of Justice-Criminal Division Office of International Affairs Fugitive Unit (http://www.usdoj.gov/ criminal/oiafug/fugitives.htm) Provides information on more than 40 international fugitives. Many are wanted on drug-related crimes, including cocaine trafficking. Provides links to other sites with additional information on these fugitives.
U.S. Department of Justice-National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) (http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/). Coordinates and consolidates strategic organizational drug intelligence from national-security and law-enforcement agencies to produce requested assessments and analyses regarding structure, membership, finances, communications, transportation, logistics, and other activities of drug trafficking organizations. Limited information is provided on this web site which is updated irregularly: has access to NDIC DMethamphetamine publications. a link to the National Drug Control Strategy, and Department of Justice links.
U.S. Department of State-The Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) (http://www. state. gov/www/global/narcotics-law/). Develops policies and programs to combat narcotics and crime. The program was first developed in 1978. Its primary goals are "to use the full range of U.S. diplomacy to convince foreign governments of the importance and relevance of narcotics control to bilateral and multilateral relations and to promote cooperation with the U.S.; and to employ the Bureau's various programs to help stop the flow of illegal drugs to American soil." This site provides access to the massive International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (1998) , key speeches and congressional testimony. This major site also provides a very useful glossary of terms and information on the country certification process, but suffers from a lack of links to related drug sites.
Dr. Bunker is adjunct professor, National Security Studies program, California State University, San Bernardino, and Professor, Unconventional Warfare, American Military University, Manassas Park, Virginia. Thomas Hunter provided research support.