s1918575 Cocaine trafficking in West Africa: Is Guinea- Bissau a narco-state? MA Thesis International Studies University of Leiden Rafael Gonzalez Koss
[email protected] s1918575 Word Count: 13607 1 s1918575 Abstract Drug trafficking in West Africa poses a threat to the stability of developing countries. This thesis will answer the question whether Guinea-Bissau is a narco-state. It will show that parts of the highest military and political elites were engaged in and protected the cocaine trade. However, it will argue that drug trafficking did not alter the structure of the Bissau-Guinean state but rather exacerbated pre-existing conditions. An historical examination will show that the overly influential role of the military and the patrimonial system of externally focused economic accumulation inherent to the political system make it more accurate to consider Guinea-Bissau a weak state rather than a narco-state. This is of paramount importance when considering possible measures to combat drug trafficking in Guinea-Bissau effectively, as only a truly developmental approach can long lasting change. 2 s1918575 Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Methodology 3. Literature Review 3.1. The State in Africa 3.2. Organized Crime and the State 3.3. The Narco-State 4. Historical Context 4.1. Colonial History 4.2. War for Independence 4.3. Post-Independence 4.3.1. One-party state and patrimonial patterns of power 4.3.2. Military influences the political process 4.3.3. Economic downturn and move towards democracy 4.3.4. Post-Civil-War period 5. Analysis 5.1.