Carcanague, Samuel

Geopolitics of Anti-Narcotics: Russian-American Competition and Cooperation in Central Asia - 2012.


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For a decade, Russia has fought fiercely against the trafficking of opiates originating from Afghanistan. Besides the dramatic consequences of the consumption of opiates within the population, traffic has become a factor of destabilization in Central Asia, leading to a rise of criminal organizations, encouraging corruption, and financing extremist movements. These developments worry the Kremlin, already unsecured about future ISAF withdrawal from Afghanistan. But if this fight against narcotics is absolutely necessary, it is not free from geopolitical motives, especially with the United States keen on keeping their influence in the area.