Tag Archives: United States

Creative thinking on the drug war?

The taboo that kept some from outright admitting that current antinarcotics policies have failed has all but disappeared.  A recent report by former Brazilian President Crdoso, former Colombian President Gaviria, and former Mexican President Zedillo made precisely this point and an op-ed by the three this week in the WSJ with the headline “The War [...]
Posted in Colombia, Mexico | Also tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Manta: What Next?

“We won’t renew the contract in 2009”, Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa said in December 2006, roughly three weeks before his inauguration as Ecuador’s seventh president in the past 10 years. Citing sovereignty issues, Correa claimed “[Ecuador] would extend the treaty only if the United States allows us to put an Ecuadorian base in Miami.” With [...]
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Mexico’s Drug War?

On 12 January, US President-Elect Barack Obama will meet with Mexican President Felipe Calderón to discuss the future of US-Mexican relations. The two have a lot to talk about. Mexico is limping out of one of its most violent years in history, in which 5,630 people were killed in drug and gang-related [...]
Posted in Guatemala, Mexico | Also tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Argentina and the Drug Trade

The nation most known for its meat and tango is facing the possibility of adding something more to the notoriety list: a haven for drug smuggling. Within the last two weeks, Argentine customs officials and police have seized over 1000 kilos of cocaine in the port of Buenos Aires, destined for Spain for distribution [...]
Posted in Argentina, Mexico | Also tagged , , | 3 Comments

Pass FTA and amend Plan Colombia, from the Washington Times

The Washington Times published an op-ed yesterday that I co-authored with Shannon O’Neil. It originally appeared here and I am including the entire text below. The Washington Times Monday, December 1, 2008 O’NEIL/CHASKEL: Pass FTA and amend Plan Colombia Shannon O’Neil and Sebastian Chaskel Two years ago President Bush and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe negotiated a free trade agreement (FTA). [...]
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The Next President’s Policies Toward Latin America

Back in 2000 then-candidate George W. Bush pledged to make this a “Century of the Americas.” ”Our future cannot be separated from the future of Latin America,” then-candidate George W. Bush told a Miami audience in 2000. ”Should I become the president, I will look south not as an afterthought, but as a fundamental [...]
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