I don't work in the intelligence community but, IMHO, the most important issue here is logistics. Also IMHO, the fight among the drug cartels is a fight for control of the smuggling routes. Further IMHO, the long-established nexus between DTOs and terrorists suggests that it would be naive to believe that terrorists or VEOs [Violent Extremist Organizations, a more politically correct term] are not already exploiting the drug smuggling routes to move human, physical, and fiscal assets into the United States.
Think Again: Mexican Drug Cartels
They aren't just about Mexico or drugs anymore.
01 “Drugs Aren't a Foreign Policy Problem.”
02 “The Cartels Are Focused on Drugs.”
03 “But the Violence Is Unique to the Drug Trade.”
04 “At Least the Violence Is Contained to Mexico.”
05 “The Problem Is the War on Drugs. Legalization Would Help.”
06 “Decapitating the Cartels Will Render Them Powerless.”
07 “We Need to Hit Them Where It Hurts: the Wallet.”
Phi Beta Iota: A very strong piece. THINK AGAIN is a feature of the revitalized Foreign Policy offering, in which a number of conventional wisdom premises are brought together and critically challenged.
