Pacific Relations and the Origins of Global Drug Control

Why are so many states and societies around the world committed to narcotic drug control? This talk returns to the foundational period of this commitment: the aftermath of the Opium Wars when the opium trade flourished with the full blessings of international law. It charts the unlikely yet far-flung expansion of anti-drug opposition to offer a new explanation of the control regime of the League of Nations after the First World War. The talk argues that Pacific relations were central to this volte-face of international norms and state practice in international society.

Dr Steffen Rimner is currently an Affilited Research Fellow at IIAS. Previously, he was a Postdoctoral Research Scholar at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute (WEAI) at Columbia University. He has taught at Harvard and Columbia where he served as the WEAI’s liaison to the International Network to Expand Regional and Collaborative Teaching (INTERACT).

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About IIAS Lunch Lectures

Every month, an IIAS researcher or visiting scholar will present his or her work-in-progress in an informal setting to colleagues and other interested attendees. IIAS organises these lunch lectures to give the research community the opportunity to freely discuss ongoing research and exchange thoughts and ideas.