Political Economy of Drugs and Security in Sistan-Baluchistan Province, Iran

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Political Science, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University

2 Department of Political Science, Tarbiat Modares University

3 Department of Internatinal Relations, Tarbiat Modares University

Abstract

Political economy is a branch of political science and economics; it is the integration of political and economic factors in our analysis of modern society. The political economy in any country consists of formal and informal sectors; depending on which part is broader, it has different effectiveness and consequences at social levels. Based on the theory of sustainable security, political economy, especially its informal part, can negatively affect the security of a society. The main question of this article is how the political economy of narcotics affects sustainable security in the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchistan. Using the concept of 'sustainable security' and the concept of 'political economy of narcotics', the article shows that the political economy of narcotics in Sistan and Baluchistan province in Iran makes this region vulnerable to security threats and organised crimes such as kidnapping, hostage-taking, murder, arms trafficking and armed robbery. The method of this research is 'content analysis' and 'post-event analysis' of security trends in Sistan and Baluchistan province of Iran. The results of this research show that the political economy of narcotics in Sistan and Baluchistan province, although it is not possible to make an accurate estimate of its turnover, is very close to the official political economy statistics in this province. The weakness of the official political economy has allowed the informal political economy, and in particular the political economy of narcotics, to grow significantly, along with the negative security consequences of this method of production.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Strategic Studies Quarterly

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 13 February 2024

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History

  • Receive Date: 07 September 2023
  • Revise Date: 24 December 2023
  • Accept Date: 31 December 2023

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