Leadership required: Drug trafficking and the crisis of statehood in West Africa

This policy brief from the Institute for Security Studies argues that drug trafficking in West Africa has evolved from a law enforcement issue into a crisis of statehood, threatening the democratic and humanitarian foundations of the region due to a lack of political will and an inadequate international response.

• Drug trafficking in West Africa has progressed from a significant challenge to a systemic crisis of statehood, with the risk of creating 'narco-states' where the drug trade infiltrates and distorts social structures, politics, and economies.
• Current efforts to combat drug trafficking in West Africa have failed to meet their objectives, a failure attributed to a lack of political will at both the national and international levels.
• The issue of trafficking in West Africa has transcended the scope of crime and security, now impacting the core of global governance, including human rights, democracy, and humanitarian foundations.

APA

Shaw, M. (n.d.). Leadership required: Drug trafficking and the crisis of statehood in West Africa. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/research/policy-brief/leadership-required-drug-trafficking-and-the-crisis-of-statehood-in-west-africa

Chicago

Shaw, Mark. Leadership required: Drug trafficking and the crisis of statehood in West Africa. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/policy-brief/leadership-required-drug-trafficking-and-the-crisis-of-statehood-in-west-africa.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Shaw |first1=Mark |title=Leadership required: Drug trafficking and the crisis of statehood in West Africa |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/research/policy-brief/leadership-required-drug-trafficking-and-the-crisis-of-statehood-in-west-africa |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{shawndleadership, author = {Shaw, Mark}, title = {{Leadership required: Drug trafficking and the crisis of statehood in West Africa}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/policy-brief/leadership-required-drug-trafficking-and-the-crisis-of-statehood-in-west-africa}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }