International Drug Control: Consensus Fractured

“An outstanding contribution to scholarship on international drug control as well as international relations theory more broadly. A compelling and cogent analysis, this book merits a wide and attentive audience.” – Julia Buxton, Joint Head, Peace Studies, University of Bradford

“This is a meticulously researched and intellectually sophisticated analysis of the international drug control regime, concentrating on the role of the United States. It is a landmark contribution to the field.” – John Dumbrell, Professor of Government, Durham University

“Bewley-Taylor’s latest book is destined to become the go-to source for everybody striving for a deep understanding of the workings of the global drug prohibition regime and how it came about. The author manages to make the book accessible and entertaining while demonstrating empirical and theoretical rigor – a rare feat.” – Christine Jojarth, Lecturer, Stanford University, and author of Crime, War and Global Trafficking

“An indispensable guide to the critics, crises, and defenders of global drug prohibition in the 21st century. The old is dying, the new cannot yet be born, so Bewley-Taylor brilliantly maps the purgatory of contemporary punitive prohibition. A learned, lucid, and ultimately hopeful work.” – Harry G. Levine, Professor of Sociology, Queens College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York

“The widespread recognition that drug control policies are inadequate has long coexisted with an equally widespread reluctance to reform them. This book sheds needed light on the reasons behind this nefarious paradox. David R. Bewley-Taylor’s dissection of a little-known UN Commission in Vienna brilliantly illustrates broader issues related to drugs and the clumsy attempts of governments to contain their production, distribution and consumption. Anyone interested in drug policy, or how the “international community” actually works when it meets to tackle a major global problem, should read this book.” – Moisés Naím, Ph.D., Senior Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and author of Illicit: How Traffickers, Smugglers and Copycats are Hijacking the Global Economy

“At a time when an increasing number of governments and analysts are questioning the design of the international drug control system, David R. Bewley-Taylor has written a perceptive and elegant account of the frailties of the system. His account of the essentially farcical, decade-long effort to meet the goals of a 1998 United Nations General Assembly resolution to rid the world of cocaine and heroin is analytical, edifying and entertaining.” – Peter Reuter, Professor of Public Policy and Criminology, the University of Maryland, and co-author of Drug War Heresies and of The World Heroin Market

“Bewley-Taylor provides a detailed overview of the international politics of drug control. In a descriptive narrative, he outlines the role of the UN in formulating international stances on the production, distribution, and consumption of both licit and illicit drugs, highlighting the state’s ability to participate in the licit drug market frequently depends upon their compliance with UN policies on illicit drugs” -M.F.T. Malone, University of New Hampshire, CHOICE

“International Drug Control: Consensus Fractured is an interesting, and theoretically and empirically informed analysis, that contributes much to those interested in the academic analysis, but also in the actual advocacy of drug reform. The book will become a must read in this realm. Beyond drug policy, the book is also a great source for those interested in the analysis of international norms and regimes, and in understanding the inner workings of the UN system.” -Angelica Duran-Martinez, Brown University, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books