[Osiris]

The article clearly pointed out that corruption is the biggest contributor to the continued survival of the cartels. If, somehow, we were able to make everyone in law enforcement and the government honest, then the cartels would find it significantly harder, if not practically impossible, to do smuggle their goods.

It does seem like the war on drugs could be fought more by addressing those that are supposed to be fighting it and removing corruption. Perhaps huge pay increases and bonuses for turning in people that attempt to bribe?

[ElCabron]

The smuggling can be stopped in less than a year. A country so powerful and resourceful that sent a man on the moon, waged wars with countless countries, played nuclear chess with the soviets, influences and spies everyone with satellites & drones, can't get to the roots of this drug octopus ? Bullsh*t. They don't want to. They went in Iraq for a bunch of imaginary weapons and in Afghanistan for a terrorist that killed 3000 citizens. If they really wanted to stop the drug dealers they would have invaded Mexico and Columbia 3 times by now, and no one could have stopped them because drugs kill tens of thousands every year. It's all politics and the politicians can play limitless dumb when they want to and no one can arrest them for that. They never admit conspiracy, never admit betrayal of citizen's or nation’s interests, they only admit incompetence cause that is not punished by law and the fools still buy it.

[yskchu]

That is just hilarious; you think the drug cartel can be stopped by invading Mexico?? Did you see what happened in iraq; what happens in Mexico will be many times worse, a full on insurgency, funded by drug money, paid by US citizens...

Our best example of a good way to go about reducing the drug trade is to go the way of Portugal.

[ElCabron]

It was just a way of saying that US has a huge capability (intelligence and military) which could be used and is used when the "national interests" dictates, but it's not used in this case, simply because there might be not enough national interest. Another way of viewing this: US attacks only the dealers that refuse to subordinate (the Talibans were guests in Washington, but something went wrong in this relationship).