ABSTRACT
The United States faces a number of threats to its security and well-being in the post-Cold War era. Among the most insidious of these threats is the international narcotics trade. The major international drug syndicates are meanwhile profiting handsomely from the decay; according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the US drug market may generate approximately $40 billion in untaxed underground retail sales, much of which flows into the accounts of these powerful organizations. The National Strategy emphasizes bilateral and multilateral initiatives, although the United States can pursue some objectives unilaterally, such as intensified interdiction operations on the high seas or in international air space. The effectiveness of the chemical control instrument was highlighted by the promulgation of tighter chemical sale and control regulations in the United States in 1988. The US Coast Guard, the principal maritime law enforcement agency for the United States, rounds out the group of agencies that focus primarily on interdiction.
