Introduction

This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part outlines the broad strokes of a general global panorama that, at the risk of underestimating important holes and gaps, points out the forms and conditions of Bolivia's insertion in the illegal market scenario. It focuses on some considerations about the current importance of the borders for Bolivia and discusses the concepts and methodologies that have guided this work, which imply a reconceptualization of the subject, not only as abstract, but as a political concept and of actual practice. The part shows the main features of the illegal markets that impact the Bolivian border subsystem the most. It discusses the main advances and the pending challenges, such as the policy integrity and attention to critical situations in the current moment.