Professor and Head of the Graduate Program on Strategic Studies at Fluminense National University (UFF), Brazil. He got his PhD in International Relations at PUC-SP, Brazil/Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle (Paris III). Communications Director of the ISA's Global South Caucus, Director of Institutional Relations of the Brazilian Defense Studies Association. Researcher at LEPEB/INEST and Nu-Sol/PUC-SP. Phone: (+ 55 21) 3674-7806 Address: INEST/UFF Valonguinho Campus, Alameda Barros Terra s/n, 2o andar, Centro, Niterói,
Rio de Janeiro/BRAZIL CEP 24020-150
Drogas e Capitalismo: uma crítica marxista [Drugs and Capitalism: a Marxist approach], 2024
The aim of the book is to present how the 'drug issue' appears in the world through a materialist... more The aim of the book is to present how the 'drug issue' appears in the world through a materialist-historical-dialectical analysis. The hypothesis is that the prohibition of some psychoactive drugs and the legal commercial exploitation of many other psychoactive drugs are constitutive parts of contemporary global capitalism. On one hand, the drug economy drives a global business worth about two trillion dollars annually, both in its legal and illegal facets. On the other hand, the criminalization of people involved with illegal drugs enables the activation of a social control mechanism that is fundamental to managing marginalized populations considered dangerous by elites and middle classes.
2016: o Ano do Golpe (2016: the Coup's Year), 2016
The Chapter exposes and analyses the most tangible international repercussions to the 2016 parlia... more The Chapter exposes and analyses the most tangible international repercussions to the 2016 parliamentary coup against Dilma Rousseff, both in global academia as within international media.
IN: Drug Policies and the Politics of Drugs in the Americas, 2016
This book chapter discusses the current contradictions and political struggles around illegal dru... more This book chapter discusses the current contradictions and political struggles around illegal drug policies in Brazil, stressing how the clash between a progressive agenda and a conservative one has been modeling a unstable and moving legal and repressive approach toward the national legislation on illegal psychoactive substances.
Política de Drogas no Brasil: conflitos e alternativas, 2018
In the beginning of the twentieth century, a national and international process drove a great amo... more In the beginning of the twentieth century, a national and international process drove a great amount of psychoactive drugs into illegality. The historical movement towards the criminalization of the production, trade, and use of those drugs is a complex articulation between social practices and security moves made by many states worldwide. In the Americas, it is possible to follow this by studying how moral perspectives connected with emerging technologies of government. This chapter aims to present an analytical framework that addresses the “problematization” and the “securitization” of psychoactive drugs in the Americas, i.e., to show how some drugs became moral, social health, and security “problems” demanding security measures by the states. The proposed framework has five interconnected levels: the moral/social practices level, the public health level, the public security level, the national security level, and the international security level. Our hypothesis is that each one of the American nations that developed internal prohibitionist regimes has faced a singular equilibrium between these five analytical levels. Alongside the general exposition of the framework, we briefly present the historical cases of United States, Brazil, and Mexico in order to indicate how we conceive of what might be possible applications of our analytical suggestions.
Política de Drogas no Brasil: Conflitos e Alternativas [Drug Policies in Brazil: Conflicts & Alternatives], 2018
In today’s world, a great number of drugs, different in their uses and properties, are grouped in... more In today’s world, a great number of drugs, different in their uses and properties, are grouped into the same category: that of prohibited substances. However, the criminalization of many of these drugs, whose consumption is part social and cultural practices sometimes stretching back to ancient times, creates serious conflicts. In analyzing the history of the prohibitionist paradigm at the international level and in Brazil, this book aims to piece together numerous perspectives on how certain drugs, their uses, and their trade were constituted over the course of the 20th century as problems of public health, and public, national and international security. The chapters also present diverse visions of the effects of prohibition—specifically those relating to these specific problems—with an emphasis on the relationship between present-day politics surrounding drugs, trafficking, and the high levels of social violence associated with the drug trade. In line with the contemporary debate and attentive to new proposals for alternative legal solutions, the chapters promote reflection over novel experiments in the regulation of psychoactive drugs for purposes other than repression and the perpetuation of preconceptions, social stigmatization, and the conversion of citizens into “public enemies” or “enemies of morality”. At the same time, the book seeks to reinforce the role and unique contribution of social sciences within the public debate over drugs
Revista da Escola de Guerra Naval/Naval War College Review, 2018
The article analyzes the contemporary transatlantic flow of illegal drugs, taking on account the ... more The article analyzes the contemporary transatlantic flow of illegal drugs, taking on account the current transformation of the connections among South American, African and European Drug-Trafficking Organizations (ODTs) and the tendency to securitize this traffic which interests the Brazilian public, national and regional security and diplomatic policies. The article presents a history of the transatlantic drug-trafficking and the its contemporary contours in order to suggest viable initiatives to cope with this new and aggravated panorama pushed through by the so-called " war on drugs " .
É possível pensar as relações internacionais fora dos cânones e paradigmas em suas versões clássi... more É possível pensar as relações internacionais fora dos cânones e paradigmas em suas versões clássicas ou revisitadas? Pode-se ousar buscando novas perspectivas liberadas das amarras das teorias da soberania e das verdades consagradas pelos guardiões do conhecimento? O curso de Relações Internacionais da FASM pensa que sim e por este motivo edita o terceiro volume da coleção Notas Internacionais. Nele são apresentados artigos de jovens pesquisadores internacionalistas pela Santa Marcelina que ensaiam seus inícios na vida acadêmica. O livro aborda questões contemporâneas fundamentais que podem escapar às leituras tradicionais e marca um exercício intelectual de estudantes interessados. Com isto fica expressa quão diferenciada é a postura da Santa Marcelina ao apostar no novo no inusitado na prática de ensino e pesquisa e no pensar diferente. Este livro além de ser um convite para novas reflexões também dá as boas-vindas a jovens pesquisadores da área de Relações Internacionais.
O curso de Relações Internacionais da Faculdade Santa Marcelina reafirma, com a edição do segundo... more O curso de Relações Internacionais da Faculdade Santa Marcelina reafirma, com a edição do segundo volume da coleção Notas Internacionais, em parceria com a Editora Desatino, sua intenção de oferecer uma perspectiva que dê vazão ao que seus egressos sistematizaram em trabalhos que são passos iniciais de possíveis pesquisadores livres. Uma vez mais, fica estampada, nos temas dos artigos, a diversidade de assuntos e abordagens que cabem dentro da área de Relações Internacionais: das discussões sobre logística, estratégias e inovações empresariais até os estudos de política comparada e história da política internacional, o livro recobre um leque de problemas que estão no campo de preocupação dos internacionalistas.
Em seu primeiro volume 'Notas internacionais' traz quatro artigos que refletem a diversidade de q... more Em seu primeiro volume 'Notas internacionais' traz quatro artigos que refletem a diversidade de questões que interessam aos internacionalistas abordando ângulos que partem da tradicional prática diplomática passando pelas novas experiências de gestão cooperativa no plano internacional para chegar a problematização de formas contemporâneas de conflito cristalizadas nos fenômenos do narcotráfico e do terrorismo fundamentalista.
Resenha Política e Drogas nas Américas 2a edição, 2018
Book review by Beatriz Gomes Comachin for the journal Pensamiento Propio (CRIES) on the 2nd editi... more Book review by Beatriz Gomes Comachin for the journal Pensamiento Propio (CRIES) on the 2nd edition of "Política e Drogas nas Américas: uma genealogia do narcotráfico" (Politics and Drugs in the Americas: a genealogy of drug-trafficking) by Thiago Rodrigues.
Piece on "Latin" and "South American" identities through a genealogical perspective which defies ... more Piece on "Latin" and "South American" identities through a genealogical perspective which defies the official discourses on "peaceful hybridism" and, consequently, affirms an "identity in flux", forged everyday under the weight of combats toward the submission of populations and their resistances. This is the transcription of my speech at the IV Conference on Foreign Relations, promoted by FUNAG/Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Institute of International Relation of PUC-Rio.
Chapter of the Book: KASSAB, Hanna; ROSEN, Jonathan (2018). "Violence in the Americas". Lanham/Bo... more Chapter of the Book: KASSAB, Hanna; ROSEN, Jonathan (2018). "Violence in the Americas". Lanham/Boulder, pp. 13-32.
Amazing landscapes, boys and girls on white sand beaches, huge tropical forests, exotic cities, and a colorful gathering of many people participating in carnival festivities are some of the images that may come to mind when one thinks of Brazil. Such notions are based on the widespread myth of the supposed " cordiality " of the Brazilian people combined with another myth about the country being characterized as a " racial democracy. " Since the nineteenth century—and especially during the authoritarian rule under Getúlio Vargas (1930–1945)—the combination of myths has become a type of official discourse in the Brazilian national identity that is based on the notion of a peaceful and perfectly integrated society. Young kids in public and private schools started learning about the allegedly cordial encounter among the three " con-stitutive races " : the indigenous peoples, the white Portuguese, and the black Africans. The complex and tragic history of the Portuguese colonization of this immense part of South America was almost completely erased from textbooks. The vicious trajectory of the African slaves was pacified under an official valorization of their cultural legacy (e.g., the " samba " and food), while the history of the genocide of the indigenous peoples was silenced by civic holidays to hail the " indians from the forest " and the formation of state agencies for the tutelage of indigenous peoples. In Brazil, the Portuguese presence is always referred to as " colonization " —a word with positive and civilized connotations—which is different from other Latin American countries where the Spanish dominion is called by its name: La Conquista (the Conquest). Moreover, this Brazilian peaceful image is reflected in the National Hymn (" Peace in the Future, Glory in the Past "). It is also praised in the diplomatic rhetoric. The Baron of Rio Branco, the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1902 to 1911, was responsible for the definition of the current 16,898 kilometers of the Brazilian border.
This is the excerpt of the Introduction for the 2nd edition of the book "Narcotráfico: uma guerra... more This is the excerpt of the Introduction for the 2nd edition of the book "Narcotráfico: uma guerra na guerra" [Drug-Trafficking: a war into a war] which aims to present the main questions, the history of drug prohibition and the so-called 'war on drugs' for a general audience.
"Política e Drogas nas Américas: uma genealogia do narcotráfico" [Politics and Drugs in the Ameri... more "Política e Drogas nas Américas: uma genealogia do narcotráfico" [Politics and Drugs in the Americas: a genealogy of drug-trafficking] is the second edition of the Thiago Rodrigues' thesis, originally published in 2002. The 2017 version of the book offers new information and analysis of the so-called 'war on drugs' in the America using the Foucauldian genealogical method to underscore the several actors, discourses and political forces engaged in this never-ending conflict. This excerpt includes a new Foreword for this edition and a Presentation by Dr. Edson Passetti.
Drogas e Capitalismo: uma crítica marxista [Drugs and Capitalism: a Marxist approach], 2024
The aim of the book is to present how the 'drug issue' appears in the world through a materialist... more The aim of the book is to present how the 'drug issue' appears in the world through a materialist-historical-dialectical analysis. The hypothesis is that the prohibition of some psychoactive drugs and the legal commercial exploitation of many other psychoactive drugs are constitutive parts of contemporary global capitalism. On one hand, the drug economy drives a global business worth about two trillion dollars annually, both in its legal and illegal facets. On the other hand, the criminalization of people involved with illegal drugs enables the activation of a social control mechanism that is fundamental to managing marginalized populations considered dangerous by elites and middle classes.
2016: o Ano do Golpe (2016: the Coup's Year), 2016
The Chapter exposes and analyses the most tangible international repercussions to the 2016 parlia... more The Chapter exposes and analyses the most tangible international repercussions to the 2016 parliamentary coup against Dilma Rousseff, both in global academia as within international media.
IN: Drug Policies and the Politics of Drugs in the Americas, 2016
This book chapter discusses the current contradictions and political struggles around illegal dru... more This book chapter discusses the current contradictions and political struggles around illegal drug policies in Brazil, stressing how the clash between a progressive agenda and a conservative one has been modeling a unstable and moving legal and repressive approach toward the national legislation on illegal psychoactive substances.
Política de Drogas no Brasil: conflitos e alternativas, 2018
In the beginning of the twentieth century, a national and international process drove a great amo... more In the beginning of the twentieth century, a national and international process drove a great amount of psychoactive drugs into illegality. The historical movement towards the criminalization of the production, trade, and use of those drugs is a complex articulation between social practices and security moves made by many states worldwide. In the Americas, it is possible to follow this by studying how moral perspectives connected with emerging technologies of government. This chapter aims to present an analytical framework that addresses the “problematization” and the “securitization” of psychoactive drugs in the Americas, i.e., to show how some drugs became moral, social health, and security “problems” demanding security measures by the states. The proposed framework has five interconnected levels: the moral/social practices level, the public health level, the public security level, the national security level, and the international security level. Our hypothesis is that each one of the American nations that developed internal prohibitionist regimes has faced a singular equilibrium between these five analytical levels. Alongside the general exposition of the framework, we briefly present the historical cases of United States, Brazil, and Mexico in order to indicate how we conceive of what might be possible applications of our analytical suggestions.
Política de Drogas no Brasil: Conflitos e Alternativas [Drug Policies in Brazil: Conflicts & Alternatives], 2018
In today’s world, a great number of drugs, different in their uses and properties, are grouped in... more In today’s world, a great number of drugs, different in their uses and properties, are grouped into the same category: that of prohibited substances. However, the criminalization of many of these drugs, whose consumption is part social and cultural practices sometimes stretching back to ancient times, creates serious conflicts. In analyzing the history of the prohibitionist paradigm at the international level and in Brazil, this book aims to piece together numerous perspectives on how certain drugs, their uses, and their trade were constituted over the course of the 20th century as problems of public health, and public, national and international security. The chapters also present diverse visions of the effects of prohibition—specifically those relating to these specific problems—with an emphasis on the relationship between present-day politics surrounding drugs, trafficking, and the high levels of social violence associated with the drug trade. In line with the contemporary debate and attentive to new proposals for alternative legal solutions, the chapters promote reflection over novel experiments in the regulation of psychoactive drugs for purposes other than repression and the perpetuation of preconceptions, social stigmatization, and the conversion of citizens into “public enemies” or “enemies of morality”. At the same time, the book seeks to reinforce the role and unique contribution of social sciences within the public debate over drugs
Revista da Escola de Guerra Naval/Naval War College Review, 2018
The article analyzes the contemporary transatlantic flow of illegal drugs, taking on account the ... more The article analyzes the contemporary transatlantic flow of illegal drugs, taking on account the current transformation of the connections among South American, African and European Drug-Trafficking Organizations (ODTs) and the tendency to securitize this traffic which interests the Brazilian public, national and regional security and diplomatic policies. The article presents a history of the transatlantic drug-trafficking and the its contemporary contours in order to suggest viable initiatives to cope with this new and aggravated panorama pushed through by the so-called " war on drugs " .
É possível pensar as relações internacionais fora dos cânones e paradigmas em suas versões clássi... more É possível pensar as relações internacionais fora dos cânones e paradigmas em suas versões clássicas ou revisitadas? Pode-se ousar buscando novas perspectivas liberadas das amarras das teorias da soberania e das verdades consagradas pelos guardiões do conhecimento? O curso de Relações Internacionais da FASM pensa que sim e por este motivo edita o terceiro volume da coleção Notas Internacionais. Nele são apresentados artigos de jovens pesquisadores internacionalistas pela Santa Marcelina que ensaiam seus inícios na vida acadêmica. O livro aborda questões contemporâneas fundamentais que podem escapar às leituras tradicionais e marca um exercício intelectual de estudantes interessados. Com isto fica expressa quão diferenciada é a postura da Santa Marcelina ao apostar no novo no inusitado na prática de ensino e pesquisa e no pensar diferente. Este livro além de ser um convite para novas reflexões também dá as boas-vindas a jovens pesquisadores da área de Relações Internacionais.
O curso de Relações Internacionais da Faculdade Santa Marcelina reafirma, com a edição do segundo... more O curso de Relações Internacionais da Faculdade Santa Marcelina reafirma, com a edição do segundo volume da coleção Notas Internacionais, em parceria com a Editora Desatino, sua intenção de oferecer uma perspectiva que dê vazão ao que seus egressos sistematizaram em trabalhos que são passos iniciais de possíveis pesquisadores livres. Uma vez mais, fica estampada, nos temas dos artigos, a diversidade de assuntos e abordagens que cabem dentro da área de Relações Internacionais: das discussões sobre logística, estratégias e inovações empresariais até os estudos de política comparada e história da política internacional, o livro recobre um leque de problemas que estão no campo de preocupação dos internacionalistas.
Em seu primeiro volume 'Notas internacionais' traz quatro artigos que refletem a diversidade de q... more Em seu primeiro volume 'Notas internacionais' traz quatro artigos que refletem a diversidade de questões que interessam aos internacionalistas abordando ângulos que partem da tradicional prática diplomática passando pelas novas experiências de gestão cooperativa no plano internacional para chegar a problematização de formas contemporâneas de conflito cristalizadas nos fenômenos do narcotráfico e do terrorismo fundamentalista.
Resenha Política e Drogas nas Américas 2a edição, 2018
Book review by Beatriz Gomes Comachin for the journal Pensamiento Propio (CRIES) on the 2nd editi... more Book review by Beatriz Gomes Comachin for the journal Pensamiento Propio (CRIES) on the 2nd edition of "Política e Drogas nas Américas: uma genealogia do narcotráfico" (Politics and Drugs in the Americas: a genealogy of drug-trafficking) by Thiago Rodrigues.
Piece on "Latin" and "South American" identities through a genealogical perspective which defies ... more Piece on "Latin" and "South American" identities through a genealogical perspective which defies the official discourses on "peaceful hybridism" and, consequently, affirms an "identity in flux", forged everyday under the weight of combats toward the submission of populations and their resistances. This is the transcription of my speech at the IV Conference on Foreign Relations, promoted by FUNAG/Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Institute of International Relation of PUC-Rio.
Chapter of the Book: KASSAB, Hanna; ROSEN, Jonathan (2018). "Violence in the Americas". Lanham/Bo... more Chapter of the Book: KASSAB, Hanna; ROSEN, Jonathan (2018). "Violence in the Americas". Lanham/Boulder, pp. 13-32.
Amazing landscapes, boys and girls on white sand beaches, huge tropical forests, exotic cities, and a colorful gathering of many people participating in carnival festivities are some of the images that may come to mind when one thinks of Brazil. Such notions are based on the widespread myth of the supposed " cordiality " of the Brazilian people combined with another myth about the country being characterized as a " racial democracy. " Since the nineteenth century—and especially during the authoritarian rule under Getúlio Vargas (1930–1945)—the combination of myths has become a type of official discourse in the Brazilian national identity that is based on the notion of a peaceful and perfectly integrated society. Young kids in public and private schools started learning about the allegedly cordial encounter among the three " con-stitutive races " : the indigenous peoples, the white Portuguese, and the black Africans. The complex and tragic history of the Portuguese colonization of this immense part of South America was almost completely erased from textbooks. The vicious trajectory of the African slaves was pacified under an official valorization of their cultural legacy (e.g., the " samba " and food), while the history of the genocide of the indigenous peoples was silenced by civic holidays to hail the " indians from the forest " and the formation of state agencies for the tutelage of indigenous peoples. In Brazil, the Portuguese presence is always referred to as " colonization " —a word with positive and civilized connotations—which is different from other Latin American countries where the Spanish dominion is called by its name: La Conquista (the Conquest). Moreover, this Brazilian peaceful image is reflected in the National Hymn (" Peace in the Future, Glory in the Past "). It is also praised in the diplomatic rhetoric. The Baron of Rio Branco, the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1902 to 1911, was responsible for the definition of the current 16,898 kilometers of the Brazilian border.
This is the excerpt of the Introduction for the 2nd edition of the book "Narcotráfico: uma guerra... more This is the excerpt of the Introduction for the 2nd edition of the book "Narcotráfico: uma guerra na guerra" [Drug-Trafficking: a war into a war] which aims to present the main questions, the history of drug prohibition and the so-called 'war on drugs' for a general audience.
"Política e Drogas nas Américas: uma genealogia do narcotráfico" [Politics and Drugs in the Ameri... more "Política e Drogas nas Américas: uma genealogia do narcotráfico" [Politics and Drugs in the Americas: a genealogy of drug-trafficking] is the second edition of the Thiago Rodrigues' thesis, originally published in 2002. The 2017 version of the book offers new information and analysis of the so-called 'war on drugs' in the America using the Foucauldian genealogical method to underscore the several actors, discourses and political forces engaged in this never-ending conflict. This excerpt includes a new Foreword for this edition and a Presentation by Dr. Edson Passetti.
This paper aims at presenting an overview of the historic and current features concerning the rel... more This paper aims at presenting an overview of the historic and current features concerning the relationship among original peoples, psychoactive drugs, and various forms of anti-drug practices in Latin America. The current expansion of extractivist capitalism in Latin America overlaps with Indigenous peoples' traditional lands, provoking new forms of violence and confrontation. The War on Drugs is being used as a justification to militarize these lands and to criminalize Indigenous populations. Thus, neo-extractivist initiatives in Latin America provoke renewed clashes between Indigenous peoples' interests and local and global elites' purposes. We seek to raise awareness about the relationship between the drug war and Indigenous people's human rights violations as an alert and an invitation for social scientists to engage in theoretical and empirical research on this issue.
Rev. Bras. Est. Def. v. 11, n. 2, p. 77–106 , 2024
The article introduces the notion of “pacification device” as an analytical instru-ment to under... more The article introduces the notion of “pacification device” as an analytical instru-ment to understand the continuous intervention of the Brazilian Armed Forces in domestic issues, using Marshal Rondon’s indigenous policy as a case study. Using the genealogy mobilized by Michel Foucault as a method and the concept of “tute-lary power” as a theoretical reference, we propose an analysis of Cândido Rondon’s trajectory as a Brazilian soldier at the beginning of the 20th century, highlighting how his strategies of “assimilation” and “harmonious” treatment of the indigenous population can be seen as a guardianship practice essential for the achievement of a “civilizing mission” that would allow for an effort at the Nation’s socioeconomic integration. Furthermore, it is demonstrated how the image, based on Rondon, of the Brazilian military as a “conciliatory agent” is propagated in contemporary paci-fications. It is argued that the notion of pacification is a key element that drives, throughout Brazilian history, the interventionist tradition of the Armed Forces, which manifests itself through the continuous combination of internal war and welfare selectively applied to specific segments of the population
O imbricamento entre o populismo reacionarista, militarismo e neoliberalismo distorceu nos fardad... more O imbricamento entre o populismo reacionarista, militarismo e neoliberalismo distorceu nos fardados o senso republicano, o compromisso com a democracia e o respeito às instituições. Ancorados na internet, subverteram a hierarquia e a disciplina. As investigações em curso no Supremo Tribunal Federal, no Ministério Público, na Polícia Federal e no Congresso têm revelado a adesão de militares à tentação golpista, por meio da participação no que ficou chamado como o Gabinete do Ódio, uma verdadeira milícia digital, e em outros esquemas ilícitos promovidos por Bolsonaro e sua entourage. O Brasil de hoje enfrenta desafios no que diz respeito às relações entre as forças armadas, o Estado e a sociedade civil que se relacionam à herança de intervencionismo militar na história republicana nacional, mas agrega novos elementos que expressam dinâmicas políticas, econômicas e sociais brasileiras e, também, internacionais.Buscamos, assim, como esse dossiê, contribuir para a atualização dos debates sobre o tema “Forças Armadas, Estado e Sociedade” a partir de um conjunto de reflexões críticas que abordam processos diversos, mas complementares, de militarização e de militarismo no Brasil contemporâneo. Consideramos essa reflexão fundamental para o fortalecimento da democracia no Brasil, com respeito ao Estado de Direito e com a capacitação profissional de Forças Armadas que correspondam às imensas demandas pela defesa da pátria e de seus recursos naturais, sempre com respeito à ordem constitucional.
Considering the Cannabis legalization process in Uruguay, we worked on the hypothesis that the co... more Considering the Cannabis legalization process in Uruguay, we worked on the hypothesis that the country’s strategy was based on a security logic, in contrast to global pro-cannabis discourses. Using qualitative analysis techniques and the theoretical-methodological framework of the Drug Policy Framework, we concluded that the appeal to the security logic was the way to change the legal status of cannabis, because, in the dimension of moral values, the defense of human rights would not mobilize legal transformations. The main contradiction in this process is that historically and internationally, security arguments underpin drug prohibition and its repressive policies.
The paper introduces the Drug Policy Framework (DPF), a theoretical perspective which aim... more The paper introduces the Drug Policy Framework (DPF), a theoretical perspective which aims at offering ways for a unified and comparable perspective for the study and understanding of drug policy production in Latin America. It is influenced by Michel Foucault’s studies on biopolitics and Nicholas Onuf’s Level-analysis. Its hypothesis is that the production and the transformations of illicit drugs’ markets and policies are the outcome of the interaction among six analytic levels: moral-societal, sanitary, public security, national security, drug political economy, and the global controlling regime. The case of the moral crusade against cocaine in Brazil during the 1950s is taken as an example of the explicative potentials embedded in DPF which would allow it to be generalized for the study of similar processes in Latin America.
In the last decades, Cannabis regulation has advanced significantly, especially for medical use, ... more In the last decades, Cannabis regulation has advanced significantly, especially for medical use, while the recreational use of this drug has reached an increasing number of people around the world, also in higher social classes, in Western societies. In Brazil, some of these trends are also in place, while others are not. We argue that the current tensions and moves of the Cannabis policies in Brazil can be addressed from a historical-political perspective. To carry out this analytical exercise, we use the Drug War Analysis (DWA) as a theoretical-methodological stance. We conclude that the relatively slow pace of Brazil’s Cannabis policy reform is related to the friction among different interests that can be identified within societal-moral, political-economic, medical-sanitary, and public security DWA’s levels of analysis. The analysis of the collusion of such forces is a promising indication of how and how much it is politically, morally, and economically possible to expect a deeper transformation in the Cannabis policy realm in contemporary Brazil.
Revista Brasileira de Estudos da Defesa (RBED), 2021
Desde o século XIX, a ideia da pacificação esteve presente na própria estruturação das Forças Arm... more Desde o século XIX, a ideia da pacificação esteve presente na própria estruturação das Forças Armadas, em especial do Exército brasileiro. Nesse artigo, apropriando-nos da genealogia do poder, perspectiva teórico-metodológica sugerida por Michel Foucault (1999), buscamos analisar os significados das práticas de pacificação no Brasil, como nelas operam a violência (implícita ou explícita) e como elas se ligam a uma percepção de que as Forças Armadas seriam a instituição nacional mais bem preparada para se responsabilizar pela construção e pela salvação da Pátria. Nossa hipótese é a de que o signo da “pacificação” opera como um dis- positivo que, ao longo da história nacional, foi utilizado para atualizar o es- forço das Forças Armadas em perseguir a formação de um país orientando pelo dístico da “ordem e do progresso”. Propomos o conceito de dispositivo pacificação como chave de leitura desse conjunto heterogêneo de doutrinas, treinamento, perspectivas filosóficas, valores morais, articulações nacionais e internacionais que compõe a busca incessante, pelas Forças Armadas brasileiras, de um modelo de Nação “harmônico”, “pacífico” e “desenvolvido”, tendo como parâmetros para esses objetivos padrões introduzidos pelo positivismo filosófico, centrados nos princípios da conservação da propriedade privada, na lisura com o trato da coisa pública e na conciliação (e não na “luta”) entre classes.
RESUMEN
La perspectiva teórica de la gobernanza híbrida se ha usado como medio para comprender có... more RESUMEN La perspectiva teórica de la gobernanza híbrida se ha usado como medio para comprender cómo Grupos Armados Ilegales (gai), particularmente los del crimen organizado, controlan territorios y poblaciones. En Brasil, este marco ha generado análisis sobre formas locales de interacción entre actores legales e ilegales en los campos político y económico. Sin embargo, encontramos límites explicativos en este marco teórico cuando lo aplicamos al caso empírico de la actuación del Comando Vermelho (cv) en el Complexo do Salgueiro, desde el comienzo de la pandemia de covid-19 (marzo de 2020 hasta julio de 2021). Combinando la observación participante, la sistematización estadística y de elementos visuales y cartográficos, y el análisis de encuesta enviada electrónicamente a moradores del Complexo, proponemos posibles explicaciones para la omisión o inacción del cv ante la pandemia, contradiciendo su tradicional preocupación asistencialista hacia poblaciones bajo su control.
Violencia y Narcotráfico en Río de Janeiro: la Masacre de Salgueiro, 2021
This policy brief presents an overview on the recent massacre performed by the Rio de Janeiro's M... more This policy brief presents an overview on the recent massacre performed by the Rio de Janeiro's Military Police in Salgueiro, a set of slums called with 60,000 inhabitants. The slaughter left at least 8 bodies dumped in a local swamp. Preliminary intel suggests it was a revenge for the killing of a police officer the day before in a confront with local dealers. We argue that this episode is the reification of a practice which explains most of the police modus operandi in the poorest and most violent neighborhoods in Brazil
Since the 1960s, the Brazilian defense policy toward the Amazon has been oriented by the security... more Since the 1960s, the Brazilian defense policy toward the Amazon has been oriented by the security/development binomen. This was simultaneously a directive for the Brazilian authoritarian regime and for US defense doctrine for the Americas. We argue in this paper that despite the structural influence of US hemispherical security and defense strategy, the formulation of an Amazonian defense strategy by the Brazilian military responded to peculiarities attached to local military historical practices regarding civilizational values, concepts of security and development, and geopolitical targets. We claim that Brazilian defense strategy towards the Amazon is a local manifestation of a biopolitical approach to both the forest and its natural resources and to its population. It is our goal to point out that the local version for the duality security/development has been a manifestation of a set of technologies of government in a biopolitical strategy.
Brazil has been hit hard by the new coronavirus pandemic. In such a context, there has been an
in... more Brazil has been hit hard by the new coronavirus pandemic. In such a context, there has been an increasing transference of decision-making and policy-making power to the military, and the Brazilian national response to COVID-19 has eventually come under military authority. Based on the current debate on the on-going securitization of public health in the world following the outbreak of the new coronavirus, we engage with recent literature in an attempt to demonstrate Brazil’s singular pattern of military interference in public health. It is our hypothesis that in Brazil there is a process of militarization of the responses to the pandemic without, however, a concomitant process of securitization. This is possible because the Bolsonaro Administration combines denialism toward the COVID-19 pandemic with the gradual delegation of key political roles to the military. We claim, finally, that the Brazilian case of military response to COVID-19 offers analytical instruments to study other cases of imbalance in civil-military relations throughout the Global South.
O governo de Jair Bolsonaro tem delegado a militares inúmeras funções na administração pública. A... more O governo de Jair Bolsonaro tem delegado a militares inúmeras funções na administração pública. Aquilo que pode ser entendido como deferência à suposta eficiência e objetividade atribuída às Forças Armadas, pode acabar se revertendo em desgaste em de imagem e credibilidade a partir do fracasso na execução de políticas públicas. O caso da crise no combate à pandemia da COVID-19 é exemplo desse desgaste que transfere às Forças Armadas o ônus da tragédia nacional causada pela disseminação do novo coronavírus.
Policy Paper on the challenges to democratic order and the Rule of Law in Brazil amid the COVID-1... more Policy Paper on the challenges to democratic order and the Rule of Law in Brazil amid the COVID-19 crisis in 2020.
Text on illegal governance and the management of the COVID-19 crisis in urban areas in Rio de Jan... more Text on illegal governance and the management of the COVID-19 crisis in urban areas in Rio de Janeiro under control of "militias" and drug-trafficking organisations.
"Crime". Essa palavra nos remete quase imediatamente a transgressões penais que acontecem dentro ... more "Crime". Essa palavra nos remete quase imediatamente a transgressões penais que acontecem dentro dos Estados, nas cidades, nos bairros, nas ruas, naquilo que é entendido como local e doméstico. E, de fato, esse espaço interno foi historicamente o espaço privilegiado para compreender o crime e para definir políticas para o seu combate. Os trabalhos de criminologia, cuja interdisciplinaridade incorporou abordagens sociológicas, antropológicas, jurídicas, entre outras, evoluíram ao longo do século XX por tais parâmetros (LOADER; SPARKS, 2007). No entanto, as últimas décadas presenciaram novas dinâmicas da criminalidade, da percepção política sobre esse fenômeno e da produção de conhecimento a seu respeito. Nesse novo momento, o internacional ganhou proeminência, tornando-se um espaço social crescentemente relevante. Isso repercutiu na importação de conceitos da área de Relações Internacionais pela
The 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in December 2018 created... more The 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in December 2018 created a need to problematise its precepts and their political consequences in contemporary times. Drawing on Michel Foucault's genealogical approach to power, this article analyses the normative inscription of the UDHR as the emergence of a juridical-political device that produces new modulations of biopolitics. As such, it is not based on peace, as is commonly argued, but on the permanent reinscription of war, sometimes in dimensions that go beyond the boundaries of sovereignty.
The paper gathers some notes on the historical and current forms of violence, racism and fascism ... more The paper gathers some notes on the historical and current forms of violence, racism and fascism in Brazil and the United States, as well as, the similar and particular forms of social resistance to state repression and social conservatism and alt-right movements in both countries.
Violence and insecurity in Latin America is a claim for the commissioning of «mano dura» policies... more Violence and insecurity in Latin America is a claim for the commissioning of «mano dura» policies. Despite its popularity, those policies have shown low effectiveness. In fact, they are usually the path to the breakdown of the Rule of Law and to the repression of vulnerable groups. Actually, those groups are doubly victimized by one hand because of their difficult socio-economic condition and by the other hand because of violent government action. This paper, analyses four cases, in four Latin American countries: Brazil, México, Colombia and Guatemala through the lenses of «violent pluralism» approach. The objective is to provide evidence for a theoretical approach based on the relationship between state and violence versus those approaches that consider violence as a malfunction of state. Key words: security; violence; militarization; populism; democracy.
Texto para Análisis Carolina, de Fundación Carolina de España, sobre el contexto actual del narco... more Texto para Análisis Carolina, de Fundación Carolina de España, sobre el contexto actual del narcotráfico en Brasil, la militarización de la seguridad pública en el país y la relación de la ciudadanía y del actual gobierno con el tema de represión penal.
Policy Brief on the Militarization of Public Security in Latin America & the Caribbean for the CR... more Policy Brief on the Militarization of Public Security in Latin America & the Caribbean for the CRIES/Stanley Center's "Regional Responses" Series.
Book review for the latest Juan Gabriel Tokatlian's work "Qué hacer con las drogas. Una mirada pr... more Book review for the latest Juan Gabriel Tokatlian's work "Qué hacer con las drogas. Una mirada progresista sobré un tema habitualmente abordado desde él oportunismo político y los intereses creados" Thiago Rodrigues
Book review by Beatriz Cornachim of the Thiago Rodrigues's "Política e Drogas nas Américas: uma g... more Book review by Beatriz Cornachim of the Thiago Rodrigues's "Política e Drogas nas Américas: uma genealogia do narcotráfico" [Politics and Drugs in the Americas: a genealogy of drug-trafficking] (2nd edition) for Pensamiento Propio, n. 48, Diciembre 2018.
PDF version for the 2019 ISA Conference presentation based on the article "War Zone Acapulco: Urb... more PDF version for the 2019 ISA Conference presentation based on the article "War Zone Acapulco: Urban Drug Trafficking in the Americas".
"Militar de voo presidencial é preso com droga na Espanha" ENTREVISTA REVISTA ÉPOCA. Nas duas últ... more "Militar de voo presidencial é preso com droga na Espanha" ENTREVISTA REVISTA ÉPOCA. Nas duas últimas décadas, as Forças Armadas passaram a ser mais um braço no combate ao narcotráfico e na chamada "guerra às drogas". O uso dos dispositivos militares em países como o México e o Brasil, no entanto, não tem tido o efeito pretendido. É o que diz o professor da Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Thiago Rodrigues, especialista no uso das forças armadas em segurança pública.
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Books by Thiago Rodrigues
Amazing landscapes, boys and girls on white sand beaches, huge tropical forests, exotic cities, and a colorful gathering of many people participating in carnival festivities are some of the images that may come to mind when one thinks of Brazil. Such notions are based on the widespread myth of the supposed " cordiality " of the Brazilian people combined with another myth about the country being characterized as a " racial democracy. " Since the nineteenth century—and especially during the authoritarian rule under Getúlio Vargas (1930–1945)—the combination of myths has become a type of official discourse in the Brazilian national identity that is based on the notion of a peaceful and perfectly integrated society. Young kids in public and private schools started learning about the allegedly cordial encounter among the three " con-stitutive races " : the indigenous peoples, the white Portuguese, and the black Africans. The complex and tragic history of the Portuguese colonization of this immense part of South America was almost completely erased from textbooks. The vicious trajectory of the African slaves was pacified under an official valorization of their cultural legacy (e.g., the " samba " and food), while the history of the genocide of the indigenous peoples was silenced by civic holidays to hail the " indians from the forest " and the formation of state agencies for the tutelage of indigenous peoples. In Brazil, the Portuguese presence is always referred to as " colonization " —a word with positive and civilized connotations—which is different from other Latin American countries where the Spanish dominion is called by its name: La Conquista (the Conquest). Moreover, this Brazilian peaceful image is reflected in the National Hymn (" Peace in the Future, Glory in the Past "). It is also praised in the diplomatic rhetoric. The Baron of Rio Branco, the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1902 to 1911, was responsible for the definition of the current 16,898 kilometers of the Brazilian border.
Amazing landscapes, boys and girls on white sand beaches, huge tropical forests, exotic cities, and a colorful gathering of many people participating in carnival festivities are some of the images that may come to mind when one thinks of Brazil. Such notions are based on the widespread myth of the supposed " cordiality " of the Brazilian people combined with another myth about the country being characterized as a " racial democracy. " Since the nineteenth century—and especially during the authoritarian rule under Getúlio Vargas (1930–1945)—the combination of myths has become a type of official discourse in the Brazilian national identity that is based on the notion of a peaceful and perfectly integrated society. Young kids in public and private schools started learning about the allegedly cordial encounter among the three " con-stitutive races " : the indigenous peoples, the white Portuguese, and the black Africans. The complex and tragic history of the Portuguese colonization of this immense part of South America was almost completely erased from textbooks. The vicious trajectory of the African slaves was pacified under an official valorization of their cultural legacy (e.g., the " samba " and food), while the history of the genocide of the indigenous peoples was silenced by civic holidays to hail the " indians from the forest " and the formation of state agencies for the tutelage of indigenous peoples. In Brazil, the Portuguese presence is always referred to as " colonization " —a word with positive and civilized connotations—which is different from other Latin American countries where the Spanish dominion is called by its name: La Conquista (the Conquest). Moreover, this Brazilian peaceful image is reflected in the National Hymn (" Peace in the Future, Glory in the Past "). It is also praised in the diplomatic rhetoric. The Baron of Rio Branco, the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1902 to 1911, was responsible for the definition of the current 16,898 kilometers of the Brazilian border.
La perspectiva teórica de la gobernanza híbrida se ha usado como medio para comprender cómo Grupos Armados Ilegales (gai), particularmente los del crimen organizado, controlan territorios y poblaciones. En Brasil, este marco ha generado análisis sobre formas locales de interacción entre actores legales e ilegales en los campos político y económico. Sin embargo, encontramos límites explicativos en este marco teórico cuando lo aplicamos al caso empírico de la actuación del Comando Vermelho (cv) en el Complexo do Salgueiro, desde el comienzo de la pandemia de covid-19 (marzo de 2020 hasta julio de 2021). Combinando la observación participante, la sistematización estadística y de elementos visuales y cartográficos, y el análisis de encuesta enviada electrónicamente a moradores del Complexo, proponemos posibles explicaciones para la omisión o inacción del cv ante la pandemia, contradiciendo su tradicional preocupación asistencialista hacia poblaciones bajo su control.
increasing transference of decision-making and policy-making power to the military, and the Brazilian
national response to COVID-19 has eventually come under military authority. Based on the current
debate on the on-going securitization of public health in the world following the outbreak of the new
coronavirus, we engage with recent literature in an attempt to demonstrate Brazil’s singular pattern of
military interference in public health. It is our hypothesis that in Brazil there is a process of
militarization of the responses to the pandemic without, however, a concomitant process of
securitization. This is possible because the Bolsonaro Administration combines denialism toward the
COVID-19 pandemic with the gradual delegation of key political roles to the military. We claim, finally,
that the Brazilian case of military response to COVID-19 offers analytical instruments to study other
cases of imbalance in civil-military relations throughout the Global South.
Key words: security; violence; militarization; populism; democracy.