ABSTRACT
The behavior of states domestically and internationally is intricately tied to the revolutionary transformation of our political economy that is associated with globalization. Globalization represents a new stage in the evolution of world capitalism. Global capitalism and neoliberalism have not only been viewed as central to understanding the emergence and consolidation of low-intensity democracies and integral to US foreign policies, but have also been directly related to the politics of crime. The relationship between the crime/punishment policies and neoliberalism/globalization has been illustrated in the history of political economy in the United States. Within the region the spread and deepening of capitalist globalization has contributed to the region's democratization and created a structural impediment to an authoritarian return. The region-wide dissemination of neoliberal economic policies important to economic globalization not only coincided with the intensification of US drug war policies, but also a shift from authoritarian systems of control to formally democratic ones.
