Smuggling is typically thought of as furtive and hidden, taking place under the radar and beyond the reach of the state. But in many cases, governments tacitly permit illicit cross-border commerce, or even devise informal arrangements to regulate it.

Drawing on extensive fieldwork in the borderlands of Tunisia and Morocco, Max Gallien’s book “Smugglers and States: Negotiating the Maghreb at its Margins” explains why states have long tolerated illegal trade across their borders and develops new ways to understand the political economy of smuggling. The book examines the rules and agreements that govern smuggling in North Africa, arguing that while states have long relied on it to secure political acquiescence and maintain order, the securitization of borders, wars, political change, and the pandemic have put these arrangements under pressure.