ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with the development and resistance dynamics of what we have described as narco- or drug-war capitalism, a worldwide phenomenon that has its major expressions in Latin America, specifically Colombia and the ‘Northern Triangle’ (Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala) in Central America. The development of narco-capitalism is based on the production of narcotic drugs and the sale of these drugs on the illicit offline circuits of the world market where these drugs circulate. The contemporary dynamics of this form of capitalism (i.e. the transformation of the huge fortunes made in the illegal drug trade into normal profitable business ventures) include the collusion of some of the biggest banks in the United States in laundering the money made in selling these drugs on the streets. The focus of the chapter is not the devastating human and social consequences of this capitalist development process, but it is the equally devastating impacts of the associated drug wars, as well as the economic and political dynamics of narco-capitalism in the Latin American context.
