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State-Sponsored Drug Trafficking in the Middle East: Media Exaggeration or Genu ine International Security Threat?
(Saudi Digital Library, 2024-12-16) ALghamdi, Basem; Bewley-Taylor, David
In the shadows of conflict and economic collapse, a new form of power has emerged in the Middle East: the Captagon trade. This dissertation explores the intersection of state-sponsored drug trafficking, media narratives, and international security, focusing on how synthetic amphetamines like Captagon have become both a survival strategy and geopolitical weapon for regimes and militant groups. With Syria as the epicenter and Hezbollah as a key actor, this illicit economy generates billions in revenue while destabilizing neighboring countries such as Saudi Arabia. Through a constructivist lens, this study analyzes how Western and regional media portray the Captagon trade—as either a growing security threat or a convenient political narrative. Combining case studies on Syria, Iran, and Saudi Arabia with media content analysis and policy review, the research reveals a complex web where drugs fund militias, bypass sanctions, and shape international responses. The findings challenge simplified narratives and call for nuanced, multi-dimensional strategies that address the roots of the drug trade rather than merely its symptoms. This study ultimately asks: is Captagon merely a crisis of addiction, or is it a tool of 21st-century warfare?
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