Front Burner Donald Trump’s war on drug cartels
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Sep 15, 2025 In this discussion, Alexander Aviña, an associate professor of Latin American history, dives into Donald Trump's aggressive tactics against drug cartels, framing them as foreign terrorist organizations. He highlights the controversial U.S. military actions and their ethical implications, including a recent drone strike on a Venezuelan boat. The conversation critiques the effectiveness of these strategies, examines the historical context of U.S. interventions, and reveals how these actions influence nationalism and sovereignty in Latin America.
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Drug War Meets War On Terror
- The US has merged war-on-drugs logic with war-on-terror tools by labeling cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
- This shift expands military response options and reframes criminal groups as national security threats.
Supply-Side Focus Is US-Led
- The global drug interdiction regime is U.S.-led and focuses on militarized supply-side tactics abroad.
- It consistently neglects domestic public-health approaches to consumption in the United States.
Narco-State Charge Has Political Uses
- The US often accuses left-wing governments of being narco-states as part of geopolitical strategy.
- The ‘narco-state’ label has historically targeted countries after political revolutions and served U.S. interests.
