This is an English translation of the article published on 03/26/2010 in the IMDOSOC portal after Secretary Clinton's visit to Mexico that week.

1. QUO VADIS MEXICO-USA?
By Sergio Ferragut
On March 23rd the U.S. National Security Cabinet arrived in full force in Mexico
City. The delegation headed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, included
Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, Homeland Security Secretary, Jane
Napolitano, the Head of the Armed Forces Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral
Michael A. Mullen and other cabinet members. They were joined by
Ambassador Pascual and members of the embassy staff. Why this display of
personalities and what for?
During the extensive working session U.S. officials joined their Mexican
counterparts to review, evaluate and redirect the various collaboration
programs under the Merida Initiative. There in no doubt that the many past and
future contributions have played and will play a significant role in the joint
struggle against the drug cartels. The Mexican “war on drugs” has benefited
from the contributions of the U.S. partners. Independently of past successes, a
change of strategy was explored during the meeting. There is a breath of fresh
air coming from Washington; the Administration of President Obama doesn’t
feel comfortable using the term “war on drugs” and wishes to place greater
emphasis on demand reduction and health treatment. Clinton went as far as
accepting U.S. share of the responsibility for the drug violence in Mexico and
pointed out President Obama’s recent request to Congress for a budget of $5.6
billion to reduce drug demand in the U.S. Undoubtedly a step in the right
direction, however, is it enough?
As reported by Mary Anastasia O’Grady in her March 22nd column in the Wall
Street Journal under the title The War on Drugs is Doomed, “the first step in
dealing with a problem is acknowledging that you have one.” O’Grady pointed
out that “U.S. recognition of this shared problem is healthy” and emphasizes
that “even militarization has not delivered the peace. The reason is simple
enough: The source of the problem is not Mexican supply. It is American
demand coupled with prohibition.” Prohibition and the associated war is the
engine that keeps drug prices high and provides great incentives for organized
crime to persevere in the business. Far from becoming a deterrent to the illicit
drug trade, prohibition has become one of the primary drivers. President
Richard Nixon declared the war on drugs back in June 1971, since then the
U.S. has been waging a war with highly questionable results. After almost 40
years, more quantities of drugs and at lower prices are consumed than at the
beginning of this so called war. Any first year student of economics can explain
why the drug market behaves in such a way.
The U.S. and Mexican officials meeting in Mexico City laid out a new strategy to
face drug trafficking and violence. The new strategy, as reported by the
Mexican press, was summarized by Clinton as follows:
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2. 1) Face the criminal organizations, strengthening the administration of
justice, creating a 21st century border for security and trade, and
developing stronger communities capable of offsetting the influence of
the cartels.
2) Put in place new key initiatives, including pilot programs to combat
border violence in Tijuana-San Diego and Juarez-El Paso.
3) Improve the exchange of financial information intelligence, police
coordination to identify financial crime and the funding of the cartels.
4) Develop a joint program to fight the illicit flow of weapons from the U.S.
to Mexico.
Undoubtedly praiseworthy goals, however, are we recognizing the true
nature of the problem? O’Grady talked about American demand and
prohibition; however, the reports coming out of the meeting do not mention
the word prohibition. It all looks like we are playing the ostrich game! Why?
There are a huge number of people that, based on ethical, moral and
religious considerations, perceive drug prohibition as a “just and necessary
policy” to keep drugs away from their children and other relatives. These
people --who we could identify as the promoters of morals and good
behavior-- perceive the current policy as necessary and equate its
cancellation to the approval of drug traffickers and the indiscriminate
consumption of drugs. Unfortunately this current of thought prevails in many
Mexican and American circles and has been an important source of
justification for politicians not to dare to go against the current --they could
risk their political career. U.S. media, except for some outstanding
exceptions, is not willing to promote currents of thought against the
orthodoxy of most of its readers. This posture has the blessing of those in
charge of conducting the war, the fundamental instrument of the prohibition
policy --the anti-drug warriors. Many of them, unfortunately, have turned the
war into their modus vivendi and it doesn’t matter to them if the war can be
won or not, what’s important is for the war to continue. Simultaneously, the
drug traffickers have the most interest in the continuation of the global
prohibition policy. Even if it sounds contradictory, the drug traffickers are the
greatest beneficiaries of the war on drugs and the ones who have the most
to lose from a policy which brings an end to it. I wish to think that the
deafening silence we are exposed to is due to the pressures coming from
the promoters; however, I am afraid that the influence of the anti-drug
warriors and the drug traffickers might be far more influential than that of the
promoters. These two groups making use of appropriate masks will never
hesitate to join forces with the promoters.
The Obama Administration emphasis on demand reduction in the U.S. is a
step in the right direction and an important sign that the government of
President Obama is open to exploring “out of the box solutions” to a
problem that has lasted for too many decades. If we go back to the
beginning of President Calderon’s Administration, it was no possible then,
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3. and neither is it today, to let organized crime control patches of Mexican
territory and operate with impunity. Calderon actions were and continue to
be congruent with his obligations and commitment to the Mexican people. At
the same time the presence of a new administration in Washington, headed
by someone with the potential to pass on to history as a great statesman,
opens new opportunities for a joint exploration of profound solutions to the
drug problem. A solution at the root of the problem requires a global
approach, no country can do it on its own. International treaties forbid it;
besides, any country that might try to implement a policy different from
prohibition on its own will attract consumers from all over the world and will
turn into an international pariah. The problem is a global problem and
requires a global solution. By leveraging the current juncture, President
Calderon, as an interested partner, has within his reach a window of
opportunity to bring to the table with President Obama out of the box
solution proposals: They must be innovative, take the laws of economics
into account and not be ruled by public opinion polls. Some analysts believe
there is no appetite in Washington for a policy based on the
decriminalization, regulation and control of today’s illicit drugs. It is
unfortunate that many politicians chose to look at public opinion polls before
defining their position in the face of a controversial issue --they are
concerned with the upcoming election. Statesmen, on the contrary, know
their mission, develop a vision, which they effectively communicate to the
citizens with the purpose of educating and serving them and lead their
people into new states of community living, progress and happiness. Nelson
Mandela is one of those statesmen that come to mind; to those not familiar
with his trajectory I suggest they watch the movie Invictus. Calderon and
Obama are in the threshold of passing onto history as statesmen that knew
how to face a problem that evaded a root solution for decades; the latter as
the representative of the leading illicit drug consuming country and the
former as the representative of the country that, because of its geographical
location, turned into the main provider of the product.
In recent times voices have been raised in Mexico in favor of negotiating
with the drug cartels in order to reduce or eliminate the wave of violence
engulfing the country. The Mexican government has taken a strong stand
against any negotiation with the drug lords. The ability to govern the country
does not include the coexistence with organized crime, be it linked with
drugs or with the many other crimes delivering huge riches outside the law.
What’s more, the government initiatives to strengthen the rule of law and the
administration of justice go beyond the drug cartels and include organized
crime in all its facets, among them kidnappings, extortion and human traffic.
This suggests that the struggle initiated by Calderon against the drug
cartels, besides confronting drug trafficking head on, allows for the
strengthening of the law enforcement institutions in order to combat
organized crime in all its flavors. At the same time, if through joint initiatives
with Washington a radical paradigm change is achieved with respect to
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4. drugs, the road towards a more secure, tranquil and law abiding Mexico will
be better paved. The decriminalization, regulation and control of today’s
illicit drugs is not an easy path to follow; many issues must be addressed in
other to take this new policy to safe harbor and deliver a lesser evil to
society, and abandon the impossible dream implicit in the current prohibition
policy and the war on drugs.
The agreements of the 23rd of March must be complemented in order to
address 100% of the problem and drive a paradigm shift. A great
commitment and huge political will are required from the authorities; the kind
of political will usually seen in the world of statesmen and seldom found in
the traditional politicians space. The dialogue between the United States
and Mexico, on the options at hand, must start with a sense of urgency in
order to take advantage of the window of opportunity provided by the new
attitude within Obama’s government. In the process, it will be necessary to
confront the special interests that because of diverse motivations prefer to
remain silent and/or silence those committed with the search for the lesser
evil.
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Sergio Ferragut is the author of A SILENT NIGHTMARE: The bottom line
and the challenge of illicit drugs. He was a member of the staff of former
Mexican Attorney General, Eduardo Medina-Mora, in charge of a major
transformation project until Medina-Mora was appointed Mexican
ambassador to the United Kingdom late in 2009.
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