I think that George Will is being entirely too patronizing to Mexico:
Mexico is a casualty of a U.S. drug enforcement success. In the 1980s, the South Florida Task Force produced the “balloon effect†— squeeze a balloon in one spot, it bulges in another. The task force deflected sea-borne cocaine imports to Mexico. Hence today’s northward flow of drugs, southward flow of money and drenching flow of Mexican blood as the cartels war with one another and with Mexico’s federal, state and local governments.
Mexico is an independent country with the resources to deal with its own domestic problems. While the U. S. may aggravate Mexico’s problems, it doesn’t create them. It’s quite capable of creating its own problems and dealing with them as well.
We didn’t create narcotics gangs in Mexico. We aren’t forcing the Mexicans to use drugs at an accelerating rate. We are not responsible for every bad thing that happens everywhere in the world.
Mostly agreed. Mexico had problems with governance well before ewe started our War on Drugs. It aggravated things, but didn’t start it. We should end our War on Drugs not because it would help Mexico, but because it would be good for us.
Steve
It depends on what you mean by “end our War on Drugs”. I think we should de-criminalize simple marijuana possession. I do not think we should either legalize or de-criminalize all Schedule 1 drugs. De-criminalizing marijuana possession will do bupkis for Mexico.
Decriminalize all except cocaine and meth. End the war by stopping no knock raids where police come in shooting, killing many innocent civilians and their animals.
Steve