How can foreign governments be convinced to combat narcotics in the source nations? Essay Example

industries allied with the source nation and ultimately reduce drug trafficking. Mexican exports heavily rely on its North American neighbors due to special trade agreements facilitated by NAFTA.

By clearly stating that decisive actions must be taken by source nations to control illegal narco-trafficking for legitimate trade agreements to remain valid, destination nations like the United States can exert pressure on the source nations (Petras, 2002).

In a report by The Washington Times on May 6, 1997, it was highlighted that the Clinton Administration emphasized the efficacy of financial grants instead of economic sanctions. This approach was exemplified during Bill Clinton's tenure as president when the US government committed funding to Mexico in order to combat the drug trade.

The upcoming meeting between Mr. Clinton and Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo will center around sensitive topics like narcotics trafficking, immigration, and trade between the United States and Mexico. Recently, Mexico's Attorney General Jorge Madrazo dissolved their Drug Enforcement Administration equivalent due to its incorrigible corruption, leading to 1,200 employees losing their jobs. To aid in training a new force, Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright informed Mr. Madrazo that the United States will allocate $6 million in funding. It is worth mentioning that Mexico received $2 million for training purposes last year.

Recent statistics indicate that the effectiveness of funding measures, such as a $6 million grant, in combating cross-border drug trafficking has been limited due to the expansive scale and reach of the narcotics trade network. To address this issue, President Obama's new administration should learn from past failures and allocate a more substantial grant for countries where drugs originate. Policymakers are also exploring alternative solutions to tackle these

deficiencies, including the decriminalization of drug trade. However, it is not yet appropriate to implement such a solution. In the meantime, source countries can mitigate the impact of drugs and the war on drugs through three strategies: embracing harm reduction, rehabilitating coca cultivation and sale, and forming a coalition against Washington's simplistic prohibitionist paradigm (Nadelmann, 2003).

Finally, in the event that previous methods fail to combat drugs in their countries of origin, military intervention can be an option. If a consortium of nations is involved in drug production, targeted regions can be disrupted to break the narcotics supply chain. The role of the United Nations should not be underestimated in this scenario. Although it may seem easier and more convenient to take independent military action against these countries, it will ultimately be more advantageous to garner international community support. Therefore, regardless of the approach a nation takes to address drugs in source countries, having majority consensus from other nations is wise. This will increase pressure on source nations to control illegal activities within their borders. Moreover, both military and diplomatic actions will have legitimacy when approved by the United Nations.

WORKS CITED

Nadelmann, Ethan. 2003. "Addicted to Failure: It’s Time for Latin America to Start Breaking with Washington over the War on Drugs." Foreign Policy, July-August, 94+.

Petras, James. 2002. U.S. Offensive in Latin America: Coups, Retreats, and Radicalization. Monthly Review, May, 15+.

The United States has committed $6 million to Mexico for the purpose of combating the drug trade. This funding will be utilized to create a new anti-narcotics force, which will replace the currently corrupt one. Warren P. Strobel's 1997 article in The Washington Times details this development.

Weinstein,

Ian. (2003). "Fifteen Years after the Federal Sentencing Revolution: How Mandatory Minimums Have Undermined Effective and Just Narcotics Sentencing." American Criminal Law Review, 40(1), 87+.

On Monday, September 21, 2009, the article "The failing war on drugs in Mexico" by G. Serrano was retrieved from .

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's website discusses drug trafficking in the United States, providing information that was added in May 2004 and can be accessed on www.policyalmanac.org.