The Bomb Was Horrifying. The Alternatives Would Have Been Worse.
Historical records show that dropping atomic bombs was the least bad option.
List of Drugs & Crime articles
![Military members guard the outside of Guayas 1 prison in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on April 14, the scene of one of Ecuador's worst prison massacres in years.]()
Military members guard the outside of Guayas 1 prison in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on April 14, the scene of one of Ecuador's worst prison massacres in years.
China Is Exploiting a U.S. Police Void in Latin America
Washington is the region’s top military partner but lags on civilian security.
![A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer sifts through pills in a parcel looking for fentanyl in New York.]()
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer sifts through pills in a parcel looking for fentanyl in New York.
U.S.-Mexican Relations Fray Over Fentanyl
Republicans are hammering the Biden administration over the spike in fentanyl trafficking.
![Attorney César de Castro speaks to members of the media after a verdict was announced at the courthouse where the trial of former Mexican official Genaro García Luna was held in Brooklyn, New York, on Feb. 21.]()
Attorney César de Castro speaks to members of the media after a verdict was announced at the courthouse where the trial of former Mexican official Genaro García Luna was held in Brooklyn, New York, on Feb. 21.
Mexico’s ‘Trial of the Century’
What a New York court case revealed about the war on drugs.
![Citizens take part in a protest in Petion Ville, Haiti, after the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse on July 8, 2021.]()
Citizens take part in a protest in Petion Ville, Haiti, after the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse on July 8, 2021.
Haiti Is on the Brink of State Failure
From criminal gangs to elite corruption, cascading ills are almost entirely homegrown.
![Italian Judge Maria Carmela Giannazzo conducts a hearing.]()
Italian Judge Maria Carmela Giannazzo conducts a hearing.
Italy’s Hard-Right Government Gets Soft on Crime
Critics fear upcoming reform on wiretapping rules will hamper the judiciary.
![A mural warns of the dangers of heroin use in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Oct. 17, 2022. Lindsey Kennedy for Foreign Policy]()
A mural warns of the dangers of heroin use in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Oct. 17, 2022. Lindsey Kennedy for Foreign Policy
How the Taliban’s ‘War on Drugs’ Could Backfire
The purported ban on opium and ephedra devastates poor farmers, enriches the Taliban, and has done nothing to curb addiction.
![A member of a social organization lies on the floor with a Mexican national flag in his chest to protest against Ciudad Juarez's drug gangs' violence, at the Angel de la Independencia Monument in Mexico City, on Feb. 6, 2010.]()
A member of a social organization lies on the floor with a Mexican national flag in his chest to protest against Ciudad Juarez's drug gangs' violence, at the Angel de la Independencia Monument in Mexico City, on Feb. 6, 2010.
Mexico’s Government Is on Trial in New York
A former Mexican security official’s corruption charges reveal the hidden politics of the drug trade.
![Police officers stand outside the scene of a "buy bust" operation in the Philippines that resulted in the shooting death by police of an alleged drug dealer in 2016.]()
Police officers stand outside the scene of a "buy bust" operation in the Philippines that resulted in the shooting death by police of an alleged drug dealer in 2016.
The Philippines Is Losing Its ‘War on Drugs’
New President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has promised a more compassionate approach, but that’s not what it looks like in the slums of Manila.
![U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Colombian President Gustavo Petro pose for a photo after a meeting at Casa de Nariño in Bogotá on Oct. 3.]()
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Colombian President Gustavo Petro pose for a photo after a meeting at Casa de Nariño in Bogotá on Oct. 3.
Why Colombia Should Fully Legalize Cocaine
Both Gustavo Petro and Joe Biden misunderstand how supply and demand work. A more radical approach is needed to reduce drug-related crime.
![A farmer fumigates fields of coca in Colombia.]()
A farmer fumigates fields of coca in Colombia.
Inside the Drug Trade in the Americas
From Colombia’s coca fields to the United States’ courts.
![Journalists and students protest the murder of Mexican journalist Regina Martínez in 2012.]()
Journalists and students protest the murder of Mexican journalist Regina Martínez in 2012.
The Journalist and the Murderer
A new book investigates the death of veteran Mexican crime reporter Regina Martínez Pérez—with a surprising conclusion.
![Taliban soldiers stand guard as men imprisoned for using drugs sit in a courtyard prior to being released from Kandahar Central Jail.]()
Taliban soldiers stand guard as men imprisoned for using drugs sit in a courtyard prior to being released from Kandahar Central Jail.
Despite ‘Ban’ on Opium, Afghanistan’s Poppy Crop Is Growing
More drugs and higher prices a year after the Taliban takeover.
![A worker carries a bag of coca leaves.]()
A worker carries a bag of coca leaves.
Colombia’s Radical New Approach to Cocaine
The Petro administration plans to pour money into rural communities to stop the drug trade at its source.
![Demonstrators protest against acting Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, calling for his resignation, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Oct. 10.]()
Demonstrators protest against acting Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, calling for his resignation, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Oct. 10.
Haiti’s Crisis Escalates
The country’s unelected leader has approved a call for a foreign military intervention. Such incursions have a fraught history.
![U.S. President Joe Biden hosts Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador at the White House in Washington on July 12.]()
U.S. President Joe Biden hosts Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador at the White House in Washington on July 12.
Hegemony in the Americas Has Been Turned on Its Head
Once-dominant Washington is now beholden to the whims of its smaller neighbors.
![A woman looks down at her phone on a sidewalk near a banner showing Assad's and Putin's faces with the caption “Justice Prevails" on it in Arabic.]()
A woman looks down at her phone on a sidewalk near a banner showing Assad's and Putin's faces with the caption “Justice Prevails" on it in Arabic.
The Folly of Reengaging Assad
Jordan tried to reestablish ties with the Syrian dictator’s regime. It was a disaster.
![An Italian Guardia di Finanza patrol boat is seen in front of the multimillion-dollar megayacht Scheherazade, docked at the Tuscan port of Marina di Carrara, on May 6.]()
An Italian Guardia di Finanza patrol boat is seen in front of the multimillion-dollar megayacht Scheherazade, docked at the Tuscan port of Marina di Carrara, on May 6.
Italy Is Leading the World in Seizing Oligarchs’ Assets
The Guardia di Finanza acted quickly to confiscate Russian-owned property on Italian territory. Other nations should learn from the force.
![Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout]()
Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout
Beware of a Freed Viktor Bout
In August, the man who oversaw the effort to capture the Russian arms dealer warned the White House to think hard about trading him away.
![Police and soldiers stand outside a bar in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, minutes after an execution occurred inside on April 18, 2009.]()
Police and soldiers stand outside a bar in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, minutes after an execution occurred inside on April 18, 2009.
In the Americas, Homicide Is the Other Killer Epidemic
The good news: Lockdowns reduced crime almost everywhere else, and we know how to stop lethal violence.
![Salvadoran national civilian police prepare to go out on patrol, in conjunction with the armed forces, following the government’s declaration of state of emergency in San Salvador on March 27.]()
Salvadoran national civilian police prepare to go out on patrol, in conjunction with the armed forces, following the government’s declaration of state of emergency in San Salvador on March 27.
The Open Secret of Government-Gang Talks
El Salvador’s lull in homicides was likely the result of such negotiations. They’d be far from Latin America’s first.
China Is Exploiting a U.S. Police Void in Latin America
Washington is the region’s top military partner but lags on civilian security.
U.S.-Mexican Relations Fray Over Fentanyl
Republicans are hammering the Biden administration over the spike in fentanyl trafficking.
Mexico’s ‘Trial of the Century’
What a New York court case revealed about the war on drugs.
Haiti Is on the Brink of State Failure
From criminal gangs to elite corruption, cascading ills are almost entirely homegrown.
Italy’s Hard-Right Government Gets Soft on Crime
Critics fear upcoming reform on wiretapping rules will hamper the judiciary.
How the Taliban’s ‘War on Drugs’ Could Backfire
The purported ban on opium and ephedra devastates poor farmers, enriches the Taliban, and has done nothing to curb addiction.
Mexico’s Government Is on Trial in New York
A former Mexican security official’s corruption charges reveal the hidden politics of the drug trade.
The Philippines Is Losing Its ‘War on Drugs’
New President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has promised a more compassionate approach, but that’s not what it looks like in the slums of Manila.
Why Colombia Should Fully Legalize Cocaine
Both Gustavo Petro and Joe Biden misunderstand how supply and demand work. A more radical approach is needed to reduce drug-related crime.
Inside the Drug Trade in the Americas
From Colombia’s coca fields to the United States’ courts.
The Journalist and the Murderer
A new book investigates the death of veteran Mexican crime reporter Regina Martínez Pérez—with a surprising conclusion.
Despite ‘Ban’ on Opium, Afghanistan’s Poppy Crop Is Growing
More drugs and higher prices a year after the Taliban takeover.
Colombia’s Radical New Approach to Cocaine
The Petro administration plans to pour money into rural communities to stop the drug trade at its source.
Haiti’s Crisis Escalates
The country’s unelected leader has approved a call for a foreign military intervention. Such incursions have a fraught history.
Hegemony in the Americas Has Been Turned on Its Head
Once-dominant Washington is now beholden to the whims of its smaller neighbors.
The Folly of Reengaging Assad
Jordan tried to reestablish ties with the Syrian dictator’s regime. It was a disaster.
Italy Is Leading the World in Seizing Oligarchs’ Assets
The Guardia di Finanza acted quickly to confiscate Russian-owned property on Italian territory. Other nations should learn from the force.
Beware of a Freed Viktor Bout
In August, the man who oversaw the effort to capture the Russian arms dealer warned the White House to think hard about trading him away.
In the Americas, Homicide Is the Other Killer Epidemic
The good news: Lockdowns reduced crime almost everywhere else, and we know how to stop lethal violence.
The Open Secret of Government-Gang Talks
El Salvador’s lull in homicides was likely the result of such negotiations. They’d be far from Latin America’s first.
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