Whack-a-mole: A smarter drug interdiction policy for Mexico

An OpEd by Vanda Felbab-Brown, a fellow in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution and author of "Shooting Up: Counterinsurgency and the War on Drugs." As she says, ramping up the drug war without long term reform of Mexico's law enforcement, courts and prisons systems will accomplish nothing. However, even successful reform will not end a drug war based in the drug prohibition laws of the U.S.


A smarter drug interdiction policy for Mexico | Viewpoints, Outlook | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "President Felipe Calderón visited Washington earlier this month amid a significant escalation in drug-related violence in Mexico and strained relations with the United States. However, it is critical that dissatisfaction on both sides does not give rise to purely symbolic actions aimed at placating concerns rather than achieving real results in ending the Mexican drug wars. Neither the U.S. nor Mexico will benefit from more frequent but less strategic hits against Mexico's drug gangs.

Ramping up of the campaign against Mexico's drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) without being truly strategic may satisfy some critics, but it will not enhance the necessary development of law enforcement, justice and corrections institutions in Mexico that are needed to make real headway in ending the Mexican drug wars. Counterproductively, non-strategic action will likely further increase the violence and decrease Mexican public support for the effort in the long term. ..

After decades of underdevelopment and corruption, neither the judicial nor the corrections systems in Mexico have caught up with the drug-trade challenge. Many petty drug pushers end up doing a year-or-two stint in overcrowded prisons that serve as higher education for criminals and more deeply anchor them in the cartels' grasp. A complete overhaul of the justice system could not be expected to proceed rapidly. Police reform in Mexico, given the level of corruption, technical deficiencies and complexity of police institutions, was bound to take at minimum a decade."