A flawed policy: The US war on drugs in Latin America criminalises people

Over the years, the United States has waged a so-called ‘war on drugs’ in Latin America, adopting a strategy of geopolitical control that criminalises people, benefits transnational capital, and justifies military interference.

The threat of US military intervention has increased following President Donald Trump’s order to deploy troops and warships near Venezuela’s coast. 

This measure, framed by the White House as an effort to “use all its power” to “stop the flow of drugs” from Latin America, was justified by Washington’s accusation that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro leads an “illegitimate” government that constitutes a “narcotrafficking cartel”. Caracas has vehemently rejected this claim.

Beyond the deployment of troops, the justification used by the Trump administration to “combat” drug trafficking in Latin America echoes the failed “war on drugs” that Washington has waged on the region for decades.

In fact, this new threat of military action confirms the failure of the very policy.