Must-read: "The Cocaine Coast"

Marco Vernaschi‘s striking photographic work on the drug trade has had my attention for some time now, but I just recently had the opportunity to read his article on Guinea Bissau in the Virginia Quarterly Review, entitled “The Cocaine Coast.” It highlights so many key dynamics in international drug policy — the centrality of demand in determining trade routes, the intersection with development and security sector reform, the relationships between trafficking and terrorism, the creation of new addicts in transit countries — in such a thoughtful manner that I was shocked to hear of recent ethics questions raised against him. The piece is, simply, a must-read.