Nexus of Organized Crime and Insurgency
International Relations
- PYQs8
- Articles1
Background
UPSC focuses on internal security threats, including the complex relationship between organized crime (like drug trafficking, illegal mining) and non-state armed groups, and its implications for governance, law enforcement, and international cooperation.
The nexus between organized crime, particularly drug trafficking and illegal mining, and insurgent or guerrilla groups often fuels prolonged conflicts, undermines state authority, and poses severe threats to national security and economic stability.
Facts & tables
- Global Cocaine Production
- Colombia is identified as the world's largest cocaine producer.
- Funding for Armed Groups
- Armed groups used peace overtures to amass territory and produce record amounts of cocaine, funding their operations.
- Criminal Activities
- Criminal groups engage in drug trafficking, illegal mining, and extortion, contributing to violence.
- Escalation of Violence
- The drug trade is directly linked to the worst violence in Colombia in a decade.
| Type | Reference |
|---|---|
| Conceptual area | National Security |
Prelims angle
Prelims angle: Statement-based questions
Prelims angle: Conceptual understanding
- Organized crime (drug trafficking, illegal mining) funds insurgencies.
- This nexus destabilizes regions and undermines state control.
- Colombia's cocaine production fuels its internal conflict.
- Challenges include law enforcement and economic development.
- Requires multi-faceted national and international responses.
| Year | Framing tags |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Multi-statement analysis, Cause and effect relationships |
| 2023 | Statement-based questions, Factual recall |
| 2023 | Factual recall, Multi-statement analysis |
| 2023 | Statement-based questions, Conceptual understanding |
| 2023 | Multi-statement analysis, Factual recall |
| 2022 | Multi-statement analysis, Institutional roles and functions |
| 2018 | Factual recall, Terminology-based question |
| 2018 | Factual recall, Multi-statement analysis |
Timeline
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National Security
Conceptual area
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Prelims 2018
Factual recall, Terminology-based question
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Prelims 2018
Factual recall, Multi-statement analysis
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Prelims 2022
Multi-statement analysis, Institutional roles and functions
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Prelims 2023
Statement-based questions, Factual recall
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Prelims 2023
Factual recall, Multi-statement analysis
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Prelims 2023
Statement-based questions, Conceptual understanding
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Prelims 2023
Multi-statement analysis, Factual recall
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Prelims 2024
Multi-statement analysis, Cause and effect relationships
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Colombia chooses President amid surge in guerrilla violence
Colombia's presidential election on May 31, 2026, is a critical juncture for the country, with voters deciding between continuing peace talks with armed groups and drug traffickers (advocated by left-wing candidate Ivan Cepeda) or adopting a hard-right military crackdown (proposed by Abelardo de la Espriella). The election serves as a referendum on outgoing President Gustavo Petro's "total peace" initiative, which critics argue inadvertently strengthened criminal organizations. The campaign was marred by violence, and the new president will face the challenge of addressing widespread guerrilla activity, drug trafficking, and illegal mining, with significant implications for regional stability and international relations.
See also
Past papers
2018–2024 · 8 questions
In the news
Colombia chooses President amid surge in guerrilla violence
Colombia's presidential election on May 31, 2026, is a critical juncture for the country, with voters deciding between continuing peace talks with armed groups and drug traffickers (advocated by left-wing candidate Ivan Cepeda) or adopting a hard-right military crackdown (proposed by Abelardo de la Espriella). The election serves as a referendum on outgoing President Gustavo Petro's "total peace" initiative, which critics argue inadvertently strengthened criminal organizations. The campaign was marred by violence, and the new president will face the challenge of addressing widespread guerrilla activity, drug trafficking, and illegal mining, with significant implications for regional stability and international relations.
Try these PYQs
Consider the following statements :
Statement-I: Recently, the United States of America (USA) and the European Union (EU) have launched the 'Trade and Technology Council'
Statement-II: The USA and the EU claim that through this they are trying to begin technological progress and physical productivity under their control.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statement?
* Statement 1 is correct: Trade and Technology Council was launched by the the United States of America and the European Union during the EU-US Summit on 15 June 2021 in Brussels. * Statement 2 is incorrect: Trade and Technology council, the USA and EU does not aim to bring technological progress and physical productivity under their control. Rather the initiative intends to promote pooling of digital resources such as AI models and computing power, and make them available to partner countries to address challenges in areas such as climate change and extreme weather, healthcare or smart agriculture.
Consider the following pairs :
|Regions|Sometime mentioned in news Country |
|-- |--|
|1. Catalonia | Spain|
|2. Crimea|Hungary |
|3. Mindanao | Philippines |
|4. Oromia|Nigeria|
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Catalonia - It is located in Spain. - It is bordered by France and Andorra in the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the east, the autonomous community of Valencia to the south, and the autonomous community of Aragon to the west. The Republic of Crimea - Officially part of Ukraine, lies on a peninsula stretching from the south of Ukraine between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. - It is separated from Russia by the narrow Kerch Strait. Mindanao - It is an island located in the Philippines. - It is surrounded by the Bohol, Philippine, Celebes, and Sulu seas. Oromia - It is a regional state of Ethiopia. - Ethiopia is a landlocked country located in Eastern Africa.
The term "two-state solution" is sometimes mentioned in the news in the context of the affairs of -
The Two-State Solution is used in the context of the Israel-Palestine issue. It envisages an independent State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel west of the Jordan River.
Consider the following pairs :
Regions : often Reason for being in news
1. North Kivu and Ituri : War between Armenia and Azerbaijan
2. Nagorno-Karabakh : Insurgency in Mozambique
3. Kherson and Zaporizhzhia : Dispute between Israel and Lebanon
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched ?
None of the pairs (1, 2, or 3) are correctly matched. Let's break it down: 1. North Kivu and Ituri: This region in the Democratic Republic of Congo experiences conflict, but is not related to the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. 2. Nagorno-Karabakh: This enclave is disputed between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but the insurgency is happening in Mozambique. 3. Kherson and Zaporizhzhia: These are currently under heavy fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war, not a dispute between Israel and Lebanon.
Consider the following statements:
Statement-I :Israel has established diplomatic relations with some Arab States.
Statement-II :The 'Arab Peace Initiative' Mediated by Saudi Arabia was signed by Israel and Arab League.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
* Statement I is correct: Several Arab states, including Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan, have established diplomatic relations with Israel. * Statement II is incorrect: The Arab Peace Initiative, mediated by Saudi Arabia, was endorsed by the Arab League but not signed by Israel. It outlines a path towards peace in exchange for Israeli concessions, but Israel has not formally accepted all its terms.
Show 3 more PYQs
Consider the following pairs : Area of conflict mentioned in news Country where it is located
1. Donbas : Syria
2. Kachin : Ethiopia
3. Tigray : North Yemen
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
* The Donbas is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. It has two heavily industrialised regions of Donetsk and Luhansk which were occupied by Russian forces last year. Hence, pair 1 is not correctly matched. * Kachin State is the northernmost state of Myanmar. In 2022, Myanmar military air * strikes reportedly killed dozens of people including civilians at a concert in Kachin State. Hence, pair 2 is not correctly matched. * Tigray is Ethiopia's northernmost region. The region is at the centre of an ongoing civil conflict involving ethno-regional militias, the federal government, and the Eritrean military that has attracted the concern of humanitarian groups and external actors since November 2020. In October 2022, the first formal African Union-led peace talks between an Ethiopian government team and Tigray forces happened in South Africa. Hence, pair 3 is not correctly matched.
With reference to the United Nations General Assembly, consider the following statements:
1. The UN General Assembly can grant observer status to the non-member States.
2. Inter-governmental organisations can seek observer status in the UN General Assembly.
3. Permanent Observers in the UN General Assembly can maintain missions at the UN headquarters.
Which of the statements given above are correct ?
Statement 1 is correct. The United Nations General Assembly may grant non-member states, international organizations, and other entities Permanent Observer Status. Statement 2 is correct. The General Assembly decided that observer status would be confined to States and intergovernmental organizations whose activities cover matters of interest to the Assembly. Statement 3 is correct. Permanent Observers may participate in the sessions and workings of the General Assembly and maintain missions at the UN Headquarters.
Consider the following statements :
Statement-I : There is instability and worsening security situation in the Sahel region.
Statement-II: There have been military takeovers/coups d'état in several countries of the Sahel region in the recent past.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
* Statement-I: There is instability and worsening security situation in the Sahel region. This statement is correct as the Sahel region has been experiencing significant instability and security challenges, including terrorism, armed conflict, and humanitarian crises. * Statement-II: There have been military takeovers/coups d'état in several countries of the Sahel region in the recent past. This statement is also correct. Several countries in the Sahel region, such as Mali, Burkina Faso, and Chad, have experienced military coups in recent years. * Statement-II explains Statement-I because the military takeovers and coups contribute to the instability and worsening security situation in the Sahel region. The political instability resulting from these coups disrupts governance, exacerbates conflict, and undermines efforts to address security and development challenges in the region.