"Brutally honest... a deeply extraordinary and original work." - SEBASTIAN JUNGER. With an estimated 250,000 people killed in 15 years, the Mexican drug war is the most violent conflict in the Western world. It shows no sign of abating. In this book, Dr Teun A. Voeten analyzes the dynamics of the violence. He argues it is a new type of war called hybrid warfare: multidimensional, elusive and unpredictable, fought at different levels, with different intensities with multiple goals. The war ISIS has declared against the West is another example of hybrid warfare. Voeten interprets drug cartels as ultra-capitalist predatory corporations thriving in a neoliberal, globalized economy. They use similar branding and marketing strategies as legitimate business. He also looks at the anthropological, individual level and explains how people can become killers. Voeten compares Mexican sicarios, West African child soldiers and Western jihadis and sees the same logic of cruelty that facilitates perpetrating 'inhumane' acts that are in fact very human. Reactions to 'Mexican Drug Violence' Teun Voeten has penetrated one of the most dangerous societies in the world--the narco-traffickers of Mexico--and come back with far more than a stunning portrait of crime syndicates. He has developed a profound understanding of how violence works and why it is so hard to eradicate. His assessment is brutally honest and shuns the facile myths that exist in both right-wing and left-wing thought--thank god. It is a deeply extraordinary and original work. - Sebastian Junger, war journalist, anthropologist and bestselling author of The Perfect Storm and Tribe: on Homecoming and Belonging This book is a reminder of what ethnography should be. Relativism is firmly dismissed, in favor of empathetic exploration. Prose is direct and jargon-free. Detail-rich stories are brought to life, framed by theory, and situated in historical context... a penetrating study of the human condition, which is equally fascinating and useful--an all too rare achievement in the field today. - Nicholas Krohley, author of The Death of the Mehdi Army: The Rise, Fall, and Revival of Iraq's Most Powerful Militia A solid, well-crafted, nuanced, but also bloodcurdling account of extreme violence, based on courageous fieldwork. Most studies on crime and violence focus their attention on the perspective of the victim. Teun Voeten is one of the few researchers who does not hesitate to also investigate the perspective of the perpetrator, and to confront the darker side of humanity. - Maarten Boudry, philosopher and co-author of Science Unlimited?: The Challenges of Scientism Revealing, penetrating and urgent. Fast-paced prose, written with visual imaginary by a journalist who has been at the first line of every international conflict, including drug wars. - Linda Polman, investigative reporter and author of War Games: The Story of Aid and War in Modern Times A unique insight into the raw reality of modern conflicts. Voeten's combination of journalistic experience and academic insights truly reveals how war and crime are increasingly intertwined in today's societies. - Martijn Kitzen, Associate Professor of War Studies at The Netherlands Defence Academy and former military officer. Dr. Teun Voeten is a war photographer and cultural anthropologist who has covered conflicts worldwide since 1990. He wrote books on the underground homeless in New York, the war in Sierra Leone, drug related crime in Belgium and the Netherlands and made the photo book 'Narco Estado. Drug Violence in Mexico'.