| Summary/Abstract |
Neoliberalism—a varied set of economic ideologies and policies that came to prominence in the late twentieth century—was closely linked to the global expansion of the national security state, a relationship best illustrated by U.S. drug control programs in Latin America during the 1980s and 1990s. A brief look at the history of U.S. drug control in the region demonstrates how neoliberalism entailed a reconfiguration, rather than a withdrawal, of the state’s authorities and capabilities. This essay explores the intersection of neoliberalism and drug control in U.S. foreign relations with Latin America through an example from Bolivia, tracing the mechanisms U.S. diplomats, policymakers, and politicians used to secure U.S. influence over foreign drug control and economic policies while revealing the contradictions of pursuing a militarized drug control approach within the context of a neoliberal economic program.
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