Latin American Countries Pursue Alternatives to US Drug War
Latin American Countries Pursue Alternatives to US Drug War
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Lessons of Iraq Help U.S. Fight a Drug War in Honduras
Lessons of Iraq Help U.S. Fight a Drug War in Honduras
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A pact with El Salvador gangs
An article from 'Open Security' which covers more than El Salvador, notably Mexico and looks at the low profile, tentative success of the state talking to gangs - with the key features being better conditions for those in jail (as in Spain, Italy and the UK IIRC) and a wise retired soldier.
It opens with:
Quote:
Talk of a pact with criminals is beyond the pale in Mexico’s presidential election campaign. But the tentative success of a deal with gang leaders in one of Central America’s most violent countries suggests the time may have come to explore a new style of negotiations aimed at reducing appalling levels of violence.
A month later, for the first time in years, the country recorded a day without a violent death; the official hope is now that the murder rate will fall in 2012 by 50 percent. The gangs have even agreed to halt forced recruitment of young people.
Citing Interior Minister David Munguía Payés, a retired general:
Quote:
My hope is that they [the gangs] don’t commit serious crimes, like they are committing at the moment, because in reality the gangs aren’t going to disappear in the next 15 or 20 years. You will die, I will die, and still there will be gangs here in El Salvador. At best they just won’t be as violent as they are now.
Link:http://www.opendemocracy.net/ivan-br...als-with-devil
Brave men, maybe women too, on both sides to do this. Less violence is essential for public safety and civic life.
Central America: confronting the drug gangs
There are several threads on this problem, so I have created this thread - as the IISS Strategic Comment covers several countries. It opens with:
Quote:
Central America is the world’s latest drugs hot-spot: up to 90% of the South American cocaine bound for the US now transits the region, most of it passing through the so-called 'northern triangle' of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
(Ends with)The countries of the northern triangle face a complicated crisis, requiring them to act on multiple fronts, improving the justice system and governance as well as security forces. Ultimately, they cannot effectively confront one of the most severe security crises in the world with one of the lowest rates of state revenue. The recent tax reforms in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are likely to have more impact on fiscal deficits than on security. Insufficient external help and deep institutional fragilities mean that more ambitious tax reforms offer these countries the best chance to improve security.
Link:http://www.iiss.org/publications/str...he-drug-gangs/
Curiously the new Mexican President has mooted legalisation, see Post 342:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...t=5370&page=18
US Military Expands its Drug War in Latin America
US Military Expands its Drug War in Latin America
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President Peña Nieto and Mexico’s Ongoing War on Drugs
President Peña Nieto and Mexico’s Ongoing War on Drugs
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Drug Traffickers Threaten Central America's Democratic Gains
Drug Traffickers Threaten Central America's Democratic Gains
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Mexican Cartel Smuggling Cocaine into Hong Kong Amid Booming Demand for Drugs
Mexican Cartel Smuggling Cocaine into Hong Kong Amid Booming Demand for Drugs
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Head of Southern Command Says He Lacks Resources to Fight Drug Trafficking
Head of Southern Command Says He Lacks Resources to Fight Drug Trafficking
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Gangs & Drug Trafficking in Central America Conference
Gangs & Drug Trafficking in Central America Conference
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The gang challenge in El-Salvador worse than you can imagine
Nothing on gangs in the region since 2012?Slightly taken aback here, so hat tip to WoTR for a long article (for them):http://warontherocks.com/2015/12/the...-can-imagine/?
Crime, violence and political gridlock in El Salvador. Business as usual
More of a backgrounder and the need for a plan to escape. It ends with:
Quote:
The future of El Salvador depends not on new studies, strategies and funds. It depends on the ability to lay the foundations for a national accord that secures long-term commitments across the political spectrum for a plan that addresses the structural causes of violence, repairs the broken state apparatus and creates real opportunities for the country’s youth. Now, more than ever, Salvadoran society needs to shed its legacy as Latin America’s most socially and politically divided and begin to lay these foundations.
Link:https://www.opendemocracy.net/democr...-salvador-busi
Review of Gangster Warlords: Drug Dollars, Killing Fields, and The New Politics of La