Inside Story Americas: Has Mexico's President Admitted Defeat in War on Drugs?

September 28, 2012 from Al Jazeera English

Mexico's President Felipe Calderon wants a global debate on a "less prohibitionist" approach to the international drug policy. He has called for a transformation in international thinking on drug policy. Is it an admission of failure after six years of bloodshed in his "war on drugs"? Guests Bruce Fein, Sylvia Longmire, and Laura Carlsen discuss.

(more) (less)

In This Video

Felipe Calderón

Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa is a Mexican politician who served as President of Mexico from 1 December 2006 to 30 November 2012. He is a member of the Partido Acción Nacional, one of the three major Mexican political parties. Prior to the presidency, Calderón received two... Explore this topic

Mexican Drug War

The Mexican Drug War is an ongoing armed conflict among rival drug cartels fighting each other for regional control and against the Mexican government forces. The government's principal goal has been to put down the drug-related violence that was raging among dueling drug cart... Explore this topic

War on Drugs

"War on Drugs" is a term commonly applied to a campaign of prohibition and foreign military aid and military intervention undertaken by the United States government, with the assistance of participating countries, and the stated aim to define and reduce the illegal drug trade.... Explore this topic

Illegal drug trade

The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, and sale of drugs, which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws. A UN... Explore this topic

Mexico

Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by t... Explore this topic

US-Latin America relations

During the Cold War era, the United States feared the spread of communism and, in some cases, overthrew democratically elected governments perceived at the time as becoming left-wing or unfriendly to U.S. interests. Examples include the 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état, the 1964 Br... Explore this topic

Latin America

拉丁美洲简称拉美，通常指称美洲大片以罗曼语族语言作为官方语言或者主要语言的地区。因为罗曼语族衍生于拉丁语，拉丁美洲由而得名。关于拉丁美洲究竟由哪些国家组成存在着不同的意见。从社会政治角度说，拉丁美洲主要包括美洲西班牙语和葡萄牙语盛行的地区：墨西哥、大部分的中美洲、南美洲以及加勒比海地区。这时它是伊比利亚美洲的同义词。尽管拉丁美洲的概念是由法国皇帝拿破仑三世提出的，其它罗曼语族的语言占主导的地区，例如较多说法语的加拿大魁北克通常不被包括在拉丁美洲范畴内。现在有时，特别是在美国，拉丁美洲的这个词被用来指所有美国以南的美洲，包括像伯利兹、圭亚那、牙买... Explore this topic

UN General Assembly

The United Nations General Assembly is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation. Its powers are to oversee the budget of the United Nations, appoint the non-permanent members to the Security Co... Explore this topic

US-Mexico relations

n/a Explore this topic

President of Mexico

The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces. The current President is Enrique Peña Nieto, who took office on December 1, 2012. Currentl... Explore this topic

Also See

Felipe Calderón

Mexican Drug War

War on Drugs

Watch Next

3:30

Drugs, Guns, and Murder: Mexican Gangster Folk's Rise in the US

Russia Today | Dec 2

America's drug war has fueled a wave of killing in Mexico. It has also led to a musical movement, which graphically describes the exploits of drug ...