Is Captagon gone? A case study of the Syrian drugs economy during and after the Syrian civil war

Abstract

In this thesis I search for the connection between drugs and the continuation of a war economy, both during and after a civil war. Existing theories are tested with a process tracing method using Syria as a case study. After having studied the literature I formulated five hypotheses. These hypotheses were tested using NGO rapports, academic literature, newspaper articles and television programs. The findings indicate that during a conflict drugs involvement allow parties to continue fighting, meaning that the conflict lasts longer and that a crime-conflict nexus emerges where criminals and insurgence joint forces with each other to achieve their individual goals. After a civil war this study found that drugs lords try to join with the new regime instead of trying to keep the conflict going. All of this is facilitated by the needs of ordinary people making a living out of the drugs trade. In the wider debate more attention to drugs and their cultural background seems important as well as the alternative livelihoods for people working in the industry.