Latin America Pros And Cons

April 2013 Public Forum “CON” Analysis
Recently, we gave our comprehensive analysis of the Pro side of the April Public Forum resolution, Resolved: The continuation of current U.S. anti-drug policies in Latin America will do more harm than good. Today, we’re discussing the Con side, which, while slightly trickier, if done properly can be argued very persuasively. To recap, the pro’s argument is, essentially, that drugs are such an intractable and complex issue that any law enforcement-oriented solution is likely to simply escalate violence and jeopardize relationships with Latin American countries for minimal gain. Conversely, as we will discuss today, the con must argue that there are tangible benefits
Additionally, you can leverage this argument against the “legalization is harmless” arguments made by the pro; as Chinchilla argues, a world with legal marijuana would be more tolerant of other hard drugs that are ultimately more destructive to social order. This “slippery slope” or “gateway drug” argument is the rationale for zero-tolerance policies. The argument goes that, a permissive attitude towards drugs weakens the social stigma against their use, causing it to spiral out of control. Thus, even if the pro can win that limited, “responsible” drug use is harmless; they will have to win that allowing such will not open the floodgates to a permissive drug culture. On a related note: 2. Public health focus is too limited, failing to account for the multi-dimensional nature of modern cartels. Trafficking violence outweighs. In addition, drug cartels are beginning to evolve in ways that make them more difficult to address. As Gil Kerlikowske argues, only a hardline approach can adequately apprehend this shifting dynamic: Kerlikowske, 2012 [“Drug Policy in the Americas,” R. Gil, Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy, Executive Office of the President, CSIS.] This Administration condemns the
It has regularly expressed its readiness to back Mexico's President Calderón in the drug fight. Professionals throughout the U.S. government recognize the urgency of their mission in cooperating with Mexico and the importance of delivering swift and targeted help. Congress can also help by streamlining the disbursal of assistance, cutting down on red tape, and by following through with the provision of the $450 million requested in the FY2010 State Department budget in order to demonstrate sustained legislative support for this critical program.