"To their many books dealing with the causes, characteristics and consequences of instability in the Americas, Jonathan Rosen and Hanna Kassab have added this important statement concerning the baleful play of drugs, gangs and violence upon the region's social fabric. This fabric has, indeed, been made fragile. It is among the strengths of this volume that it presents the attendant problems of theory and policy in their complexity: from systemic economic dislocations, to the failure of states, the polarization of societies and the strains placed upon too many young people throughout the Americas. With its innovative interrogation of literature across disciplines, the interplay it captures between theory and the very human story it presents, the book is extraordinarily helpful as we seek to make sense of an environment in which acts of violence seem upon us in endless stream." (Bradford McGuinn, University of Miami, USA) "This book provides a comprehensive, up-to-date analysis of the scourge of organized crime that wracks Latin America today. Rosen and Kassab show how the U.S. demand for drugs and Latin America's corruption, poverty, and woeful prisons have led to the explosion of violent crime in the region.

Rosen and Kassab are top experts on security in the Americas and their book is thoroughly researched and thoughtfully argued." (Cynthia McClintock, George Washington University, USA) "Crime is no longer what it used to be. It's more international, technological and violent. In a growing number of nations it is also deeply embedded in the state. In this book, Jonathan D. Rosen and Hanna Samir Kassab offer a comprehensive review of the trends that are shaping crime and violence in today's world." (Moisés Naím, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, USA).