International drug traffic : an unwinnable war?

Moderator
Person Interviewed
Albright, Madeleine
Allen, Richard V.
House, Karen Elliott
Abstract
Examines the United States' war on drugs both at home and abroad, and asks, "Is this a war we can win?"
Description
In the 1980s the United States faced a growing drug plague that led to outbreaks of violence in communities across the country. Even in the nation's capital the drug problem was spiraling out of control, causing the murder rate to skyrocket. The situation became so out of hand that there was talk of placing parts of the city under martial law. Yet despite extensive American anti-drug efforts, the problems affecting Washington continued to spread throughout the United States. Attempts to cut off the drug trade at its source failed because of corrupt foreign leaders, inaccessible crop locations, and above all the sheer profitability of the market for illicit narcotics. On the interdiction side, the U.S. stepped up its efforts to intercept illegal drugs, while also admitting that it was only capable of stopping a small percentage of narcotics coming into the country. Given the failure of efforts to go after the supply of drugs, many policy observers concluded that the only solution would be to stop the demand for drugs. However, this raised the question, is the United States' war on drugs a foreign policy problem or a domestic problem? Furthermore, is it even a war that the United States can win? In this episode, future Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Karen Elliott House of the Wall Street Journal, and Richard Allen, former National Security Advisor to President Reagan, discuss the international and domestic dimensions of the United States’ drug problem.
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Date
1989
Subject
Location
North America; United States;
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