Origins of the War on Drugs
The most famous icon of the 20th century is Pablo Escobar, the world drug pin. Most of us know the Narcos tale; the glitter of money, women, political power, and the highest global death rates on the dark side. Pablo Escobar is a reflection of a global phenomenon equivalent to cancer that has cost countries billions of dollars in combating its effects and sources. One gentleman has been an icon in combating drug smuggling and drug dons like Pablo globally. Ronald Reagan, former American president, pioneered what is known as the war on drugs (Turner, 2022).
President Reagan reacted like a normal ‘fatherly’ president to the number of death rates all across the United States, as well as school dropouts, tax evasion, political capture and worst, the potential rise of communism funded by the new global ‘gold.’ A good example of a communist movement that has benefited from the global drug trade is the left-wing Colombian FARC which bought weapons and ran a logistics wing on drug money (DW Documentary, 2019). As Ronald Reagan prophesized, since they opted for drug money in the early 2000s, they have been ever formidable. They require less territorial control and thus focus on smuggling routes.
The war on drugs has continued from its declaration by President Reagan to date. President Bush senior led a brutal war on drugs in South America, a covert war in Asia, and a street war in his own country. The former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, though controversial, is accused of ignoring Panamanian dictator Noriega with the excuse of war on communists (VICE news, 2022). The United States gradually grew as the world’s largest consumer of drugs, far more than Europe. Heroin from the ‘golden triangle’ in Asia as well as Afghanistan flowed to the United States. Thus, a disaster was in the making.
As the United States created the monsters and their puppets, they had to spend millions to bring such individuals down, as in the case of Manuel Noriega when global communism started to die. In Afghanistan, the United States is believed to have allied with heroin kingpins to counter the Taliban, hence the rise of people like General Dostum (Pictures, 2002). While the marines were fighting terrorists, the Drug Enforcement Agency had to ‘try’ to counter their allies. In conclusion, the west created its own drug habit and has harmed many fighting the habit.
Displacement, Immigration, and War on Drugs
Like the war for minerals in Africa, the war on drugs has proven to be disastrous despite the United States’ attempts to counter the global trade complemented by international agencies. Many Central American countries were victims of the United States’ war on drugs. Asian countries such as Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines are also the victims of the ill ways adopted by global administrations trying to counter drug smuggling.
The international drug trade came with its benefits to western countries and was led by none other than Uncle Sam. American gun culture has its benefits, as countless drug organizations need to quench their thirst for arms. Accusations of state involvement are common in countries such as Mexico, which annually receives three billion dollars’ worth of arms from the United States. The arms will flow to Central and South America to organizations such as FARC in Colombia and international cartels such as the Medellin cartel of Pablo Escobar. Commerce is beneficial to both sides, considering the unregulated profit margins.
Gun violence is the number one cause of suffering caused by several global cartels across the Americas. One country stands out with a cartel that is potentially armed to the extent of facing elite state agencies. Brazil has seen election combat based on the need to curb crime, reduce death rates, and eradicate the drug trade in the country (VOX news, 2019). The same scenes were witnessed in the El Salvador election, where the candidate won based on an authoritarian style of leadership (Vice News, 2022). The drug cartels have shifted the social, political, and economic order in these countries.
In the case of Brazil, the world-famous favelas are a hub of cartels such as the Red Band (translated in English). The state has been forced to invest in elite training of police, purchase equipment, and fight its own citizens. El Salvador, which has the highest global rates, has seen desperation to the extent of multiple military deployments on cities without a change in statistics. Many desperate citizens are forced to immigrate to save their lives and seek better lives. In El Salvador, many dreams of peace in the United States or Mexico, increasing headaches for state officials in Washington who are caught up in local development or reluctancy in accepting immigrants.
Consequences and Recommendations
Deaths of countless both on United States streets over drug crimes as well as in other countries are common. The Philippines took headlines with a death rate that caught the eye of international monitors such as the United Nations and the European Union. In an attempt to save his country Rodrigo Duterte opted to use force to save his nation, with consequences that forced him to resign (DW Documentary, 2022). The United States has one of the highest crime deaths induced by drugs and fights an internal and external war to save its citizens.
Mass displacement is the most significant consequence, with hundreds of thousands forced to flee from Central and South America, Mexico, and Asian countries. In Mexico, towns have been abandoned as cartels fight for control of trading routes with the states. With the endless supply of American weapons, they butcher each other and the ordinary Mexican (VICE News, 2021). The only option for the displaced is to move to the cities, other towns, or cross borders to other countries. Pressure is exerted on states and international migration organizations as resettling has to be organized.
Political perceptions have greatly shifted in many Asian and American countries owing to the consequences of the drugs and the war on drugs. The Philippines, El Salvador, and Brazil elections saw desperate voters willing to shift ideals to accept authoritarianism to save generations. In most cases, Reagan’s style of countering drugs leads to disasters. Thus, states and international organizations such as the United Nations and Interpol should invest in studies and remedies. Humans, as proven in history, rarely cope well with pressure. Thus, an emphasis on human rights in policing should be key, along with community involvement.
The human is a creature of ideals and social order all across the globe, and infusing ideals and moral norms into crime patrolling shall make them more effective. World leaders led by the United States should accept the damage and train citizens of these nations to reclaim ‘Reagan’s’ ideals and win the war against drugs. Patience being constant and coordinated effort, legislations such as the legalization of certain drugs can be tried and tested. Like any other counter-insurgency, it starts with the leader; Europe and the United States must counter the illegal gun trade by its citizens.
In conclusion; ‘It is not the drugs doing the displacement but the guns from world leaders and their supposed wars on substances which result to deaths and economic displacement.’
References
DW Documentary . (2019). The long road to peace after the civil war . YouTube .
DW Documentary . (2022). Philippines’ president Rodrigo Duterte announces departures from politics .
Pictures, J. (2002). The USA’s dody dealings with Afghan drug lords. Youtube .
Turner, D. (2022). War on Drugs. Britannica.
VICE news . (2022). How the CIA created a cocaine dictator . Youtube .
Vice News . (2022). The world’s coolest dictator .
VICE News. (2021). On the front line with Mexico’s warning cartels .
VOX news. (2019). How Jair Bolsonaro brought the far right power in Brazil.
Benedict Kuol is a GRDFT Global Compact for Migration graduate as well as a Strathmore Finance major. He aims to be the best GRDFT Research Intern and is passionate about writing and research.