Description:
Ivelaw Griffith has undertaken the first extensive study of illegal drugs in the Caribbean by examining the nature and scope of drug operations, probing the security implications of those operations and the problems they cause, and assessing countermeasures for dealing with drug traffic and resulting problems. By disclosing the various elements of the drugs-security matrix, Griffith argues that the sovereignty of Caribbean countries is under siege, not only from drug operators but also from other states, owing to the transnational nature of drug trafficking and the inability of most small countries to cope with it. Drugs and Security in the Caribbean makes it clear that there is no simple solution to the drug threat. As long as the demand for drugs persists in the United States and Europe, drug trafficking in the Caribbean will be nearly impossible to control.

Booknews:
Griffith (political science, Florida International U.) looks at three aspects of the drug trade in the Caribbean: the nature and scope of the operations; the security implications of those operations and the problems they precipitate; and countermeasures adopted at the national, regional, and international levels to deal with the operations and resulting problems. The multifaceted approach should be relevant not only to security specialists, but to Caribbeanists in general.