Smuggler Nation: How Illicit Trade Made America

摘要

Whenever I receive a book to review that is written by some hotshot Ivy Leaguer, I brace myself for all the deception and tomfoolery that I will have to endure. Peter Andreas's Smuggler Nation, however, turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. Indeed, I can recommend this book to anyone interested in reading a true history of America and becoming better informed about issues ranging from marijuana legalization to immigration reform. The first point to be made about the book is that smuggling in America has been around since colonial days and will continue into the foreseeable future. Second, smuggling has played a very prominent role, rather than a subsidiary one, throughout our history. Indeed, it has often played a pivotal role in important events or episodes in American history. Third, smuggling is the result of prohibitions and protective tariffs, and the cumulative impact of these policies has been a driving force for the establishment of big government and the police state in America.