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World development at the current stage is accompanied by complex integration processes and global transformations. In recent years, there has been a steady trend of growing transnational threats and international conflicts, which has a negative impact on the key characteristics of states’ ability to ensure sustainable development in the face of worsening global security problems. The purpose of the article is to identify trends in the global transformations of countries in the context of their development and assurance of national security. Studies have been conducted on defining and quantifying the main characteristics of states, taking into account key aspects such as security and development. Methodological approaches to determining indices and indicators, based on multidimensional methods that enable a quantitative assessment of state weakness levels, have been considered. A scientific and methodological approach has been proposed, and research on a selected group of countries has been conducted to analyze the dynamics of their development and national security. This approach includes assessing the level of country weakness using the Fragile States Index and its component indicators and criteria. By utilizing the Fragile States Index from 2006 to 2023, it was possible to identify trends in state transformations in countries such as Afghanistan, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Iran, China, the United States, and Ukraine. An analysis of global transformations in Ukraine has been conducted, distinguishing three periods based on this analysis: the first period from 2006 to 2014, the second from 2015 to 2020, and the third covering the last two years, during which the country has been engaged in armed conflict (2022–2023). The system of indicators and criteria within the Fragile States Index reveals a significant deterioration in 2023 compared to 2013. Mathematical models of changes in the Fragile States Index for China and Indonesia have been constructed, along with an assessment of their accuracy, enabling the forecasting of strengthening trends for these countries in future periods. The practical application of the proposed scientific and methodological approach allows for analytical processing that incorporates a multidimensional approach to assessing state weakness in the context of development trends and national security. Effective strategic decisions can be developed to enhance resilience amid global transformations, based on analytical information and identified gaps in the key characteristics of states.

This article examines the development of drug trafficking and organized crime in Latin America, from the pre-colonial peri-od to the legislative measures of the 20th century. The study is grounded in ethnobotanical data on the distribution of psy-choactive plants among the continent's peoples before the on-set of European colonization. It posits that colonial interven-tions not only facilitated the spread of plants containing nar-cotic substances but also laid the groundwork for the emer-gence of international drug trafficking, including its intercon-nection with global socio-economic transformations. Under-standing the historical context is crucial for analyzing con-temporary issues of international crime and drug trafficking, as well as for developing effective resolution strategies. Thus, the article contributes to the theoretical foundation of interna-tional relations and global politics, expanding our compre-hension of the influence of historical processes on contempo-rary global challenges.

Resumo Neste artigo busco atingir dois objetivos principais: primeiro, examinar e reiterar a teoria de um “novo individualismo” que detalhei em escritos recentes de teoria social. Afirmo que hoje presenciamos as condições e consequências de um novo individualismo que varre o mundo e que se evidencia especialmente na nova economia financista das indústrias de mídia e comunicação. Então pergunto: como a teoria do novo individualismo difere de outros pontos de vista influentes na teoria social recente? Para os propósitos deste artigo, os pontos conceituais de comparação com a teoria do novo individualismo serão (a) a teoria das “tecnologias do eu”, conforme elaborada por Michel Foucault e vários neofoucaultianos; e (b) a noção de “individualização reflexiva” delineada por Anthony Giddens. Em segundo lugar, discutirei ramificações sociológicas mais amplas da nova tese sobre o individualismo. O novo individualismo, argumentarei, não se refere meramente a indivíduos ou a suas disposições psicológicas; em vez disso, penetra até o cerne do núcleo da cultura e da vida institucional. Novo individualismo é, portanto, uma espécie de taquigrama para vários processos que moldam, e que são moldados, pelas transformações sociais globais. Os principais condutores institucionais do novo individualismo sobre os quais vou dissertar são (a) reinvenção contínua, (b) mudança instantânea, (c) velocidade e (d) o curto prazo, ou episodicidade. Concluo tecendo considerações sobre as prováveis consequências sociológicas futuras do viver-se a vida na via expressa do novo individualismo.