IPS’ Drug Policy Project invites you to a brown-bag discussion with John Ross. Militarization of the border has turned Mexico into an annex of “The Wire.” Drugs stay in the country longer these days and invariably leak into the Mexican marketplace, fomenting intense commercial rivalries between the cartels.
Sanho Tree discusses the significance of U.S. officials in Mexico, and whether the new plan is an adequate one.
By any measure, the military approach to countering a demand-driven cocaine trade has been a complete failure.
Law of the Jungle is the true account of how a Saving Private Ryan-style mission degenerated into a frenzied, every-man-for-himself gold rush and the story of one of the most amazing hostage-rescue operations in history. John Otis will discuss his book and the current situation on the ground in Colombia.
The U.S. is paying a heavy price for its current stance on drug policy.
Tipping points are easy to identify in retrospect, but much more difficult to predict in advance. What prospects does an Obama administration pose for the disastrous war on drugs? Using a multimedia presentation, IPS Fellow Sanho Tree will examine the confluence of factors that could spark a change in the political consensus supporting the drug war as well as the obstacles to change. Sanho returned from Colombia in March, 2009.
Space is limited so please pre-register!
When Bart Simpson ran for class president, he began his campaign with an attack on his rival: "My opponent says there are no easy answers. Well I say he’s not looking hard enough!" This is toughest problem with elected officials and drug policy — they think voters want (and can only understand) easy answers.
After decades of a simple-minded "war" paradigm, drugs stubbornly refuse to surrender while more users, producers and traffickers have been drawn into the drug economy. This talk will examine why the war on drugs has failed, what some alternatives might look like, and most importantly, how legislators can vote for change without risking their seats through "swiftboating" type campaign smears.
This lecture is presented by Howard University’s Department of African American Studies. For contact information call: (202)806-7242.
Sanho Tree is a former military and diplomatic historian whose current work focuses on policies concerning international drug control, counterinsurgency, and counterterrorism. He was associate editor of CovertAction Quarterly, an award-winning magazine of investigative journalism, and worked at the International Human Rights Law Group in the last 1980s. He serves on the boards of Witness for Peace and the Andean Information Network.
As the new policies take shape, Washington must understand that being tough is not the same as being effective.
Probably not.
How the Pentagon can cut the military budget and still keep us safe.
The United States’ ill-conceived war on drugs has failed at home and failed in Colombia. As columnist Laura Carlsen explains, Mexico is up next.