Myanmar/Afghanistan. Myanmar Dethrones Afghanistan As World’s Top Opium Producer Myanmar is now the world’s largest producer of opium, according to a United Nations report published Tuesday, overtaking Afghanistan as political turmoil dri…

Afghanistan. The impact of Afghanistan’s drug trade on its neighbours: The case of Pakistan, Iran and Tajikistan.  Fazli, S. (2023).  SOC ACE Research Paper 25. University of Birmingham. https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2…

Syrien. A balancing act - Normalizing Syrian relations amid the Captagon trade With Syria’s return to the Arab League, curbing the Captagon trade has risen to the top of the region’s political agenda. Syria must now navigate how to meet its co…

Captagon trafficking and the role of Europe This report examines the role of Europe in the production and trafficking of captagon tablets. It includes an historical background, current production and trafficking, seizures, the consumer market, prod…

USA/China. Biden and Xi's Fentanyl Compromise: What Will It Accomplish? In the words of the guy who sings "War (What Is It Good For)": Absolutely nothing!  Yesterday President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met outside of San Francisc…

Italien. More than 200 people convicted in Italian mafia ‘maxi trial’ Specially built courtroom in Calabria heard evidence of ruthless tactics of ’Ndrangheta crime syndicate. (…) Although more than 100 individuals were acquitted by the court in La…