CSIS Internship Research
from John Mulqueen's portfolio
At CSIS I conducted general research regarding the western hemisphere. Specifically I looked into the effects of Latin American cocaine production on the West African Drug trade as well as the economic impact of US aid to micro-finance institutions in Bolivia.
Research Projects
West African Drug Trade
Due to weak central governments, and a lack of appropriate customs and local police enforcement, West Africa has become a central hub in the drug trafficking network. With the demand for cocaine rising in parts of Europe relative to the US, cocaine importers have found a niche in the southern European drug market. The ease of market operations in West Africa manage to offset the extra cost from indirect routes. This has directly influenced Latin American drug production (specifically coca cultivation/cocaine production/exportation in Colombia, Bolivia and Brazil).
Micro-Finance Institutions and Bolivia
With the Millennium Development Goals deadline fast approaching, permanent global poverty seems like more of an eventuality than ever before. The proliferation of micro-finance institutions in recent decades has attempted to shine as a ray of hope for eradicating the most extreme levels of poverty. Despite domestic problems existing in the US financial system, it is critical that the Obama administration take a vested interest in the cultivation of micro-finance institutions in order to reduce poverty, especially in Bolivia. A reduction in poverty in Bolivia will serve to reduce incentives for coca cultivation/cocaine production, immigration to the United States (as well remittances from the US) and will to help to empower women. This will have a number of positive impacts on the US including reducing the security threat tied to drugs and immigration, as well as fighting chavismo in Latin America by strengthening ties to a nation whose lithium deposits will play a major role in the future of energy policy.
Background
Expert in Latin American Political Economy
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- Brianne O'Leary
- Mike Lovell Marketing Associate
- Gary L Herstein Assistant Professor of Philosophy / Independent Scholar
