War Zone Acapulco: Urban Drug Trafficking in the Americas

Abstract

Acapulco epitomises the (in)security of urban zones in the Americas whose geographical, political and economic divisions are exacerbated by the political economy and geopolitics of drug trafficking, as well as by militarised attempts to fight it. Various geographic, political, and economic factors in the Acapulco Metropolitan Zone (AMZ) have impacted drug trafficking and organised crime and contributed to high levels of violence. As a result, Acapulco now ranks among the 50 most violent cities in the world. This article analyses the trends in drug trafficking and organised crime in the AMZ, and highlights the lessons for scholars and policy-makers.

«Mano dura» y democracia en América Latina: seguridad pública, violencia y estado de derecho

“…Un caso que ilustra la situación enfrentada por México respeto al impacto de las políticas de seguridad es el del estado de Guerrero, en la costa pacífica de México. En el año de 2011, Acapulco apareció en cuarto lugar en el ranking de las 50 ciudades más violentas del mundo (Rodrigues, Kalil, Rosen y Zepeda 2017 El aumento explosivo de la violencia en Acapulco se relaciona con cambios ocurridos en la economía política del narcotráfico en las Américas y la creciente demanda de heroína producida en Guerrero. Con el aumento del valor estratégico del estado y de la zona metropolitana de Acapulco (zma), las pandillas locales hicieron alianzas con organizaciones con presencia transnacional como La Familia Michoacana, Jalisco Nueva Generación y Los Zetas.…”

Intervenção federal e a guerra contra os pobres na cidade do Rio de Janeiro

“…Essa escalada não conduz ao fim dos confrontos armados, mas, muito pelo contrário, seleciona os mais fortes. É um processo de sofisticação e militarização das organizações, formando um oligopólio dos agentes mais poderosos, que passam a dispor de alto poder de corrupção e penetração política (RODRIGUES et al, 2017).…”

The Shaping of Crisis-Resistance Among Domestic Tourists in Acapulco

“…This has been exemplified with the recent decline of international tourism (Bender, 2012), which has coincided with the particularly steep rise in organized crime since 2006 (Monterrubio, 2013). This upsurge in serious crime, in particular homicide, brought about by the Government"s militaristic attempt to thwart the drug trade and the subsequent fragmentation of criminal groups, has resulted in Acapulco being considered one of the most violent cities in the world (Rodrigues et al, 2017 Jonas et al (2011:88) suggest that: "… perceived risk is shaped by consumers" past experiences, lifestyle, sociocultural and demographic background characteristics, and the culture of each tourist consumer,". That is to say, an individual who is apprehensive about a certain risk has been "shaped" through personal experience and thus developed a fear of being in a particular situation.…”