Source: Antiwar.com
by Ted Galen Carpenter
“An especially hot news item in 2024 has been the surge of drug-related violence in Ecuador. Until recent years, Ecuador was hailed as an island of relative stability in the swirling violence of the illegal drug trade in the Western hemisphere. The situation there contrasted with the level of chaos and violence in neighboring countries such as Peru and Colombia, as well as the central arena of drug trafficking in Mexico and Central America. American retirees found the country to be an especially appealing destination. That presumption of stability was always somewhat exaggerated. … drug warriors in the United States and other countries cling to hard-line strategies and refuse to face an inconvenient economic truth. Governments are not able to dictate whether people use mind-altering substances. ” (04/23/24)
https://original.antiwar.com/ted_galen_carpenter/2024/04/22/yet-another-drug-war-failure/