Four experts (including, with all modesty, your’s truly) have been waging a vigorous debate in the latest issue of Cato Unbound (Cato Institute’s on-line monthly publication) regarding the war on drugs. The focus has been on the drug-related violence in Mexico, with former Mexican foreign minister Jorge Castaneda writing the lead essay, but the discussion has evolved into something much broader. Please take a look.
While U.S. leaders focus on Afghanistan, Iran, and other problems in distant regions, there is an alarming security threat brewing right next door. Violence in Mexico, mostly related to the trade in illegal drugs, is spiraliing out of control. Even worse, it is apparent that the drug traffickers are winning their fight against the Mexican government. The situation on our southern border has grown so bad that even the Marines at Camp Pendleton in southern California are now barred from spending their leave time in neighboring Tijuana because the city is too dangerous.
The drug violence in Mexico, and how it is spilling across the border into our own country, is the subject of my new policy study for the Cato Institute. You can access it here.