The only winner in the 'war on drugs'

The real effect of militarising drugs policy in Latin America has been to cement the hegemony of the US Southern Command
Juan Gabriel Tokatlian
The Guardian (UK)
Thursday, December 2, 2010

The outcome of this militarisation of drugs policy has been overwhelmingly negative. Military involvement in such an irregular war was not only unrealistic, but has also proved counterproductive. Every once in a while, a momentous triumph is announced in one or another country. But within a few years, the proliferation of front lines in the "war on drugs" reveals that such "success" was, at best, a pyrrhic victory. Meanwhile, democracy deteriorates, national insecurity spreads and human rights violations worsen.