Plata, plomo, or human rights? What can México and Colombia learn from each other in the war on drugs?

Abstract

Drugs are playing an increasingly important role virtually everywhere in the world. A U.S. president declared the international war on drugs some 50 years ago. This paper will examine what has become of this proclamation, especially with regard to Colombia and Mexico. A focus will be on the link between human rights and strategies in the fight against drugs. The different strategies will be presented and examined for their potential and actual impact. It will be shown that the situations in Colombia in the past and present, and Mexico in the present are only comparable to a limited extent and that strategies, insofar as they have been successful, cannot be transferred without further ado. It becomes clear that there is no such thing as a perfect strategy, but that solutions have to be thought of internationally on the one hand, and on the other hand that the special characteristics of a country have to be taken into account. Finally, current trends are presented and a look into the future is taken.