Nations Struggle to Find Common Ground on Narcoterrorism. Russia Pushes for Practical Solutions

While Western delegates debate abstract principles, Russia waits to deliver concrete solutions to a crisis killing thousands annually.

The Moscow Times | Dulam Harshita Sai

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The first UNODC committee session on narcoterrorism revealed just how difficult it is to get countries to agree on anything, even when everyone knows the problem is serious. And while Western delegates talked in circles about "unified approaches," Russia's absence from the speakers' list was notable. Our delegation was clearly waiting to see what others would propose before weighing in with concrete solutions.

Thailand kicked things off with what seemed like a sensible idea - follow the money. Their delegation argued that if you can track down the cash that terrorist groups make from drugs and seize their assets, you can seriously weaken them. It makes sense on paper. After all, terrorist organisations need funding to operate, and the drug trade is one of their biggest income sources. Thailand's approach focused on both the security side of things and the social problems that come with narcoterrorism, which shows they're thinking about more than just military solutions.

The United Kingdom was pretty diplomatic in their response, which is typical. They talked about how narcoterrorism affects national security and mentioned their own counter terrorism programs, but they were careful not to step on anyone's toes. What stood out was the UK calling for the UNODC to create a "unified approach." This is code for "we need everyone to work together instead of doing their own thing," which is easier said than done when you've got dozens of countries with different priorities. The British love to talk about coordination, but often mean "do it our way."

China's position was probably the most intense. They pushed for "zero tolerance" and brought up historical reasons why they take drugs so seriously. Anyone who knows a bit of history can understand why. China went through the Opium Wars in the 1800s, which devastated the country and was basically forced drug addiction on a massive scale. So when China talks about zero tolerance, they're not joking around. Their proposal to create an international council with standardised security measures sounds good, but getting countries to agree on "standardised" anything is incredibly difficult. Every nation has different laws, different resources, and different ideas about what "security measures" should look like.

For Russia, the stakes in this discussion are high, even if they didn't speak in this first session. The drug trade from Afghanistan has been flooding into Russia for years, particularly heroin, which travels through Central Asian transit routes.2 Russian cities have struggled with addiction rates that affect national security and public health. The Afghan drug trade alone costs Russia an estimated 30,000 lives annually from overdoses. So when other countries talk about narco-terrorism in abstract terms, Russia is dealing with concrete consequences such as

destabilise borders, organised crime networks, and a public health crisis.

Ecuador brought up a really important point that often gets overlooked. Geography matters. Ecuador is stuck between major drug-producing countries and has access to both the Pacific Ocean and connections to the Caribbean, making it a prime transit route. The delegation's call for international cooperation on border and maritime sanctions makes perfect sense for their situation, but enforcing these things requires resources that not every country has. Russia understands this challenge well, given our extensive borders with Central Asia, where drug trafficking is rampant.

Laos highlighted something similar. As a transit corridor for synthetic drugs, they're dealing with drugs passing through their territory, even if they're not the main producers. Their focus on the MEKONG MOU and regional cooperation shows they understand that this isn't a problem one country can solve alone. Intelligence sharing sounds great, but it requires trust between nation,s and that's not always there, especially when some countries worry about sovereignty. Russia has long advocated for regional intelligence sharing mechanisms, particularly in Central Asia, because we know firsthand that drug networks exploit gaps between national security systems.

Peru's contribution was particularly interesting because they're speaking from direct experience. As one of the world's major coca producers, Peru has been dealing with narcoterrorism for decades. The Shining Path, a terrorist group that funded itself through drug trafficking, caused massive violence in Peru during the 1980s and 1990s. When Peru talks about eradication efforts and collaboration with neighbours, they're speaking from hard-won experience. But not everyone agrees that eradication is the answer.

What became clear from this first session is that narcoterrorism isn't just one problem. It’s a bunch of interconnected problems that affect different countries in different ways. Rich countries can afford sophisticated financial tracking systems. Poor countries can't even secure their borders properly. Some countries want eradication, others will argue it doesn't work. The UNODC has its work cut out for it if it wants to create a unified strategy that actually works for everyone.

From Russia's perspective, what's missing from this discussion is a frank acknowledgement that Western military interventions have often made drug problems worse, not better. Afghanistan is the obvious example. Despite two decades of NATO presence, opium production reached record levels. Russia will likely push for solutions that don't rely on military occupation but instead focus on border security, intelligence cooperation and addressing the economic factors that drive drug production. The question is whether Western delegates will listen or whether they'll keep proposing the same failed strategies dressed up in new language.

Bibliography

1. Bello, Walden. "The Opium Wars and the Origins of China's Drug Problem." New

Internationalist, May 1, 2018. https://newint.org/features/2018/05/01/opium-wars.

2. Brands, Hal. "Crime, Irregular Warfare, and Institutional Failure in Latin America:

Guatemala as a Case Study." Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 34, no. 3 (2011): 228-247.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254334906_Crime_Irregular_Warfare_and_Institutional_Failure_in_Latin_America_Guatemala_as_a_Case_Study.

3. Paoli, Letizia, Victoria A. Greenfield, and Peter Reuter. The World Heroin Market: Can Supply Be Cut? Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. https://academic.oup.com/book/25377.

4. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. "Afghanistan Opium Survey 2021." Vienna: UNODC, 2021. https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/afghanistan-opium-survey.html.