Drug Cartels In Latin America

The international issue of drug cartels and the threats posed by drugs has been approached in many ways and have altered throughout its history. Its deleterious effects on citizens and national governments have been most brutally evident in Latin America. The expansion of drug cartels and their increasing authority and influence in Latin America posses various national and international threats. Additionally, the contradicting notions on the root of the conflict in Latin America have stalled and created extreme variation among possible solutions, ranging from military action to eliminating corruption to settling border disputes.
Topic Background As mentioned before, the damaging results of drug cartels has been most devastating in Latin America. Latin American countries contain …show more content…
Crime and violence have thrived as a result of weak law, scarce economic opportunity, corruption, and poor education. With these conditions being so common in Latin American nations, there is little to no opportunities for many. Consequently, joining drug cartels and gangs is the only option for most to survive under these circumstances. Although this cycle has greatly contributed to the issue, it is not the origin of the conflict, as historical events have shaped the influence and threats posed by the Latin American drug cartels today. Drug trafficking in Latin America began in the late nineteenth century, when Mexico controlled the illegal trade in opium and marijuana, and Peru dominated the mostly legal trade in cocaine products. This continued until 1945, as the end of World War II saw the professionalization and greater organization of trafficking as networks of traffickers emerged. Afterwards, in the 1960s to 1984, witnessed the rise of Colombia as the predominant producer and trafficker after Bolivia, Chile, and Cuba had fallen by the wayside. This period also