War on Drugs, the War on Terror and Human Trafficking, Essay Example

How does the War on Drugs, the War on Terror and human trafficking enforced from an international perspective and still navigate issues of sovereignty?

The issue with sovereignty concerning such highly important legal problems revolves primarily in how the various legal institutions interact with one another.  Oftentimes, the concept of state sovereignty is quickly eroded due to a larger agency or legal body coming in with greater power and control over a legal situation (Andreas & Price, 2001).  The War on Drugs, War on Terror and the highly controversial topic of human trafficking are international issues that have serious consequences on hundreds of nations throughout the world.  These issues have a federal and international consideration, which inherently supersedes the state and local levels of law enforcement.  Today, the various legal bodies in the United States have a responsibility to their local jurisdictions but also to protecting the safety of the entire country – a responsibility that can eliminate state sovereignty and change the focus from state to federal or international safety considerations in an instant (Andreas & Price, 2001).

The United States sees several conflicts amongst legal institutions at the various levels of government.  The federal agents and legal bodies that may enter a specific state geographical location has a different set of laws and rules to abide by as opposed to local or state officials (Biersteker & Weber, 1996).  The same is true in regards to international bodies.  However, international agents or officials must gain the permission of the United States to enter borders and to engage in legal activity or perform a search and seizure with regards to these serious issues being discussed.  No longer are these issues a consideration of control by the state sovereignty; instead, there is a much larger picture involved for the safety of more than just one geographical location.  Nevertheless, each country has its own specific laws regarding the War on Drugs, War on Terror and Human Trafficking that must be followed and are punishable by each individual legal entity to the fullest extent of the law.  Extradition is another consideration in which countries may be forced to extradite international criminals to their home countries to be tried under a court of their peers (Biersteker & Weber, 1996).  Again, the questions surround international, federal and state sovereignty and are never very easy to answer.

References

Andreas, P., & Price, R. (2001). From War fighting to crime fighting: transforming the american national security state. International Studies Review, 3(3), 31-52.

Biersteker, T.J., & Weber, C. (1996). State Sovereignty as social construct. Melbourne, Australia: Cambridge University Press.