There is an active debate about the relationship between illegal drugs and terrorism. The 9/11 Commission (2004) dismisses the idea that drugs were linked to Al Qaeda's attack on New York and Washington D.C. (pp. 171-172). There is no evidence the commission writes, that indicates Osama Bin Laden used underground drug networks or narcotics trafficking to support the 9/11 attacks. Years after the publication of the 9/11 Commission Report, inconsistences and false statements have been found. Further, history and research has shown that the Taliban used narcotics trafficking to support itself in Afghanistan, but Bin Laden used a network of donors based in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States. The narcotics business in Afghanistan makes billions of dollars annually according to defense experts and researchers. The viewpoints expressed above are just one example of the continued debate about terrorist organizations, illegal financing, and underground transactions.

Think About It

How can one be certain that the sale and trafficking of narcotics did not fund the attacks of 9/11?

Why do some analysts reject the idea of narcoterrorism altogether?

Is the belief strictly based off of propaganda?

If illegal narcotic funds are being used to fund terrorism, how are the funds being disbursed in an underground economy?

Lastly, what other impact(s) does this type of financing have on terrorist organizations and networks globally?

Assignment

As a researcher, this assignment will require you to choose a side and write a brief one-page position paper, based on your own individual research on the topic of narcoterrorism and the underground funding of terrorist organizations.

Locate a scholarly article that supports your position and answers each of the questions posed above.

Include if the article in which you chose supports or fails to support the notion that illegal drug trading funds terrorism?