Drugs Archives - Foreign Policy In Focus

Playing the Spoiler in Colombia

by James C. Jones | Jun 18, 2012

When Barack Obama entered office in 2009, many Latin America specialists reveled in the prospect that U.S. policy would reform its Cold War approach to a region that is a major source of foreign oil, illegal immigration, and illicit narcotics. The United States would at last recognize and address the complex political and economic dynamics of a region still struggling with its colonial legacy, and where one-third of people still endure often extreme poverty.

Violence, Human Rights Abuses, and Corruption Exploded After Mexico’s Military Entered the Drug War

by Michael Busch | Jun 14, 2012

Mexico’s military is crumbling under the weight of corruption.

The NATO Afghanistan War and US-Russian Relations: Drugs, Oil, and War

by Peter Dale Scott | Jun 7, 2012

I delivered the following remarks at an anti-NATO conference held in Moscow on May 15, 2012. I was the only North American speaker at an all-day conference, having been invited in connection with the appearance into Russian of my book Drugs, Oil, and War. As a former diplomat worried about peace I was happy to attend: as far as I can tell there may be less serious dialogue today between Russian and American intellectuals than there was at the height of the Cold War. Yet the danger of war involving the two leading nuclear powers has hardly disappeared.

The Failure of the Summit of the Americas VI

by Raul Zibechi | May 31, 2012

Dilma Rousseff interrupted the speech of Barack Obama. The President of the United States was speaking about the advances of various countries in Latin America, commenting that now there exists “a prosperous middle class” that represents a business opportunity for companies from his country. “Suddenly, they are interested in buying iPads, interested in buying planes from Boeing.” “Or Embraer,” interjected Dilma, yielding applause.

Honduras Coup Delivering a Bloody Return on Washington’s Military Investment

by Michael Busch | May 25, 2012

The United States has significantly scaled up its military presence in Honduras in recent months.

Mexicans Romanticizing Drug Kingpins Reflects Lack of Confidence in the Rule of Law

by Michael Busch | May 24, 2012

The loyalty citizens profess to this violent syndicate or that has nothing to do with actual support, and everything to do with survival in an uncertain social terrain where law enforcement is often a perpetrator.

Arrest of Mexican General for Cartel Connections May Be Purely Political

by Michael Busch | May 23, 2012

Not only are the charges old, but he supports President Felipe Calderon’s opposition.

Fighting Drug Cartels Exposes Mexican Military to Corruption

by Michael Busch | May 21, 2012

The more exposure the military has to the drug war, the greater the risk that it will succumb to corruption.

Foreign Policy Magazine Analyst Stokes Fears About Mexican-style Drug War in Venezuela

by Michael Busch | May 18, 2012

Foreign Policy magazine publishes fear-mongering accusations that Venezuela is becoming a narco-state.

Fear, Loathing and Electoral Love in Mexico

by Kent Paterson | May 15, 2012

Mexico’s federal election campaign officially kicked off March 30, but the contest arguably began in earnest days earlier when Pope Benedict XVI visited the right-wing stronghold of Guanajuato state. In a story worthy of Mexican surrealism, the daily La Jornada chronicled how all the presidential candidates joined with hundreds of thousands of people in the town of Silao to welcome the leader of an institution that is officially prohibited from participating in politics.