|
 E-mail Story Print Friendly
Opinion editorials Handling of Pit Appeal Calls for a Time-Out |
Front Page 
opinion editorialsThis editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by editorial page staff and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers
.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
U.S. Shifts Focus To 2nd Front of Drug War
Sometimes it seems like the flow of drugs north into the United States is a river that can find its way around any dam. But, it's a two-way street, like any other kind of commerce. Money to enrich gangsters rolls south along with guns to war against their competitors and the police.
To do much more than occasionally interrupt the flow, there has to be a coordinated attack on both ends of the problem. In what may be a new chapter of the four decades-long War on Drugs, a mid-term Mexican president has shown — not just by words, but through actions — an unprecedented determination to go after the drug cartels on that side of the border. And that has been matched by the new commitment of his U.S. counterpart to choke off the southbound flow on this side.
New U.S. strategy was unveiled by top federal officials in Albuquerque last week. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Attorney General Eric Holder reiterated the commitment to support President Felipe Calderón with equipment and funding and said there will be more hurdles for would-be smugglers of cash, guns and other contraband headed south. There was even an acknowledgement of the demand side of the equation, with a goal of cutting the number of addicts relying on the drugs exported by or shipped through Mexico.
The new strategy represents an improvement. So do the evolving tactics of the cartels. During the policy rollout, border czar Alan Bersin said one objective is to push contraband corridors out into the sea lanes where smugglers would be at a relative disadvantage. The cartels seem to have been thinking about that.
Semi-submersible freighters are the latest wrinkle in the escalating Drug War, according to federal officials. They estimate a third of U.S.-bound Colombian is shipped via submarine and say at least one drug cartel is working on a remote-controlled vessel.
As in any war, tactics must adapt to changing battlefield conditions. What's important here is the commitment to a new offensive.
You also can send comments via our comment form
|
|
