Realism Theory and Narcoterrorism Essays - 7379 Words

Former President Fernando Belaà ºnde Terry of Peru first defined the term â€Å"narco-terrorism† in 1983. The term was first created to describe terrorist-type attacks against Peru’s anti-narcotics police. President Terry used to the word â€Å"narco-terrorism† to attempt to describe the narcotics trafficker’s use of violence and intimidation to influence the policies of the government. However, the word narco-terrorism has more than just one definition. According to the DEA, narco-terrorism is defined as, â€Å"participation of groups or associated individuals in taxing, providing security for, otherwise aiding or abetting drug trafficking endeavors in an effort to further, or fund, terrorist activities.† However, the latest definition of the term†¦show more content†¦While the United States and Europe are the main importers of cocaine, the main exporters of cocaine are found in Latin America. Latin America has among one of the most imp acted nations involved in narco-terrorism. In Latin America, cocaine is known as the â€Å"atomic bomb†. The most impacted countries of narco-terrorism are Columbia, Mexico, and Peru. Columbia Columbia is historically the most impacted nation of narco-terrorism. Columbia was first declared an independent nation after the fall of Gran Columbia along with Ecuador and Venezuela in 1830. As of July 2011, CIA World Factbook has estimated its population to be about 44,725,543. Columbia has 1,138,910 sq km of land, approximately three times the size of California. However, according to the CIA World Factbook it is estimated that only 2.1% of the land is arable, 1.37% is already used for permanent crops, and the rest of its 96% is used for â€Å"other† reasons. According to the 2008 World Drug Report, over 99,000 ha of Columbian land is used for cocaine cultivation. Due to its ongoing civil wars and weak democratic government, Columbia has become a haven for narco-terrorism. Insurgent groups such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), National Liberation Army (ELN), and United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) have been known rely on drug trafficking to carry out bombings, extortion, kidnapping, and assassination. Narco-Terrorism in Colombia began as a response by the