Download The Latin American Drug Superhighway

UNODC1 ­ Latin American Drug Superhighway­ 1 BACKGROUND PAPER: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC 1) The Latin American Drug Superhighway Introduction: In 2009 the UNODC organized a regional experts meeting in Costa Rica in order to create a plan in response to illicit drug trafficking in the the Central American region. At the Ministerial Conference in Managua, the ''Programa de UNODC para el reforzamiento del plan de acción de la estrategia de seguridad en Centroamérica y México'' or the “Regional Program for Central America” for short, was adopted by the seven member states of Central American Integration System (SICA), a group formed in 1991 to act as a judicial political framework for the region. The seven member nations were Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Belize. Since then the Dominican Republic was added as an eight member in 2013. Regional observers include Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Chile, United States, Uruguay, Ecuador and Colombia. Extra regional observers include China, Taiwan, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Australia, France, United Kingdom, the European Union, New Zealand and Morocco. The Regional Program for Central America is meant to work in tandem with the Central America and Mexico Strategy Action Plan. These two things together are the initiative to stop drug trafficking in the Latin American Region. (sica.int) With 90% of cocaine that enters the U.S. entering through the U.S./Mexican border and Columbia, Peru and Bolivia being the main sources of cocaine internationally, it is imperative for the UNODC that the Latin American region and it’s so called “drug superhighway” to be a main focus in matters of international security and prevention of drug trafficking. By putting in place the SICA ­ UNODC Mechanism the UN attempts to do the following: ● (i) facilitate the coordination of regional and national policies in the field of organized crime and drug trafficking. ● (ii) develop an analysis capacity of organized crime and drug trafficking trends in the two regions. ● (iii) ensure an exchange of information amongst the partners of the mechanism and avoid duplication between technical assistance projects. ● (iv) assist countries in implementing the UN conventions on organized crime (UNTOC), corruption (UNCAC) and the three drugs conventions, and implement effective anti­organized crime policies. International market for illicit drugs is more profitable than ever, drawing many suppliers to the business. This fact makes the need for international security programs, investigations into corruption and border control more important than ever. (unodc.org) UNODC1 ­ Latin American Drug Superhighway­ 2 Background & History: The Latin American region is a somewhat volatile and unstable region. Throughout the colonial era, Spain controlled most of the Caribbean, Central America and South America. These nations that were once ruled by Spain are now often referred to as Latin America. Due to a variety of conflicts initiated by reactions to Cold War ideologies, U.S. and USSR foreign policy, revolutions and political instability in the Latin American region, crime was an inevitable result. With the region so politically disorganized there was not much of a police force to stop black market networks and drug cartels from organizing methods of manufacture, transport and distribution. By the time the region began to gain political stability after the Cold War these illegal drug networks were well established and complex, with strong connections to political figures throughout Latin America. Important officials and executives from various agencies in Latin America fell to corruption. Cartels such as the Gulf Cartel, Tijuana Cartel, Juarez Cartel, Sinaloa Cartel and the Guadalajara Cartel created a network for transporting illegal narcotics through Mexico into America. Along with those Mexican cartels there are many others throughout countries like Colombia, where there are currently somewhere around 300 drug smuggling organizations operating. Colombia, being one of the world’s major sources of cocaine production, is unsurprisingly the site where the illicit drug industry took off decades ago, in large part due to two very famous cartels that no longer operate as they did in the 1980s and 90s, the Medellin Cartel and the Cali Cartel. Nowadays, splinter groups from these two cartels and many others run the industry in Colombia and now other countries in the region, specifically Peru and Bolivia. These organizations have acquired more resources over the years and now make all sorts of illicit drugs, such as marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin, opiates and many more. It is because of the control that these cartels have over the region and the efficiency of their organizations that the Latin American Drug Superhighway is now one of the biggest problems facing the region today and an extreme threat to the security of nations worldwide. Current Situation: Despite international cooperation and government efforts aimed towards closing the “Drug Superhighway”, cocaine and other narcotics continues to be trafficked across borders throughout the Americas. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) continues to work towards encouraging international collaboration to combat Latin American narcotics trafficking. In Central American countries, the production and trafficking of narcotics continues to stimulate many negative effects. Although large cartel power has decreased, largely in part to government efforts, narcotics trafficking organizations are a major source of violence in the region. In Colombia, the battle against drug cartels has cost 15,000 lives in the past 20 years alone. Moreover, 100,000 Mexicans have disappeared or killed in the past 8 years in Mexico’s fight against narcotics trafficking. While large drug cartel empires have begun to lose influence, many smaller cartels and paramilitaries continue to produce and transport narcotics throughout the region. In Colombia, “The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia” and 11 other main gangs manage the majority of the region’s cocaine trafficking. In UNODC1 ­ Latin American Drug Superhighway­ 3 Mexico, large cartel empires have begun to splinter and organize themselves into complex, ever changing unstable alliances. In other Latin American nations, a constant power struggle wages between many smaller drug cartels. The fight against cartel power and drug trafficking throughout the region has placed great economic burdens on Latin American governments. Drug­related violence has caused predictably negative consequences to the overall security and prosperity of the region. More specifically, studies show an increase in drug use in Central and Southern American countries themselves. This Central and Southern American increase in drug abuse is a trend with obvious economic and social effects and is one that must be reversed. Though outside of Central and South America, the United States still experiences a multitude of negative consequences from the continued illegal importation of narcotics, primarily through the US­Mexico border. Although the US government has spent over $1 trillion on its “War on Drugs”, narcotics, especially cocaine, are still illegally trafficked through Central America to US buyers. Drugs trafficked from Latin America have cause an estimated $215 billion of damages in various sectors of the US economy. The majority of cocaine and other hard drugs produced and exported out of Latin America are transported to US buyers. However, European and African buyers also receive the majority of their hard drugs from the Americas. Therefore, it remains a priority for a number of nations of varying continents to work towards ending Latin American drug trafficking. Bloc Positions: All countries are committed towards ending the drug trafficking and are prepared to take measures towards bringing about the end to international narcotics trafficking. However, different groups of countries have varying degrees of involvement and interest in the present situation. To Latin American countries, cartels and the violence produced by drug trafficking threatens all nations in the region. Latin American governments, especially in Colombia and Mexico, are committed to battling drug trafficking with both their federal police forces and international legislation empowered by the United Nations. The United States, as a primary source of demand for drugs produced in Latin America is also a major player. The US government has waged a continued “War on Drugs” to combat drug use in the United States as well as drug production and transportation throughout the Latin American Drug Superhighway. The US government is also strongly dedicated to ensuring that the constant drug flow through its Mexican border ceases. Moreover, terminating the Latin American drug trade would save the US government a great amount of time and effort. UNODC1 ­ Latin American Drug Superhighway­ 4 A number of other nations from different regions hold lesser, but oftentimes still pressing, interests in stopping Latin American drug production and exportation. European and African nations receive the majority of their illicit hard drugs and the entirety of their cocaine from South America. An end to illicit drug production or exportation would see the rate of drug usage throughout the world to decrease, ceteris paribus. Committee Mission: As nations in Latin America attempt to improve their own national security and countries in both around the world attempt to halt international drug trade, the UNODC gathers in a General Assembly to discuss potential plans for combating these drug empires. This assembly will attempt to find solutions to the many problems that plague the region in relation to gang violence and the prevention of drug addiction internationally. When considering possible solutions to these problems delegates must consider the social, economic and political conditions of each individual country within the region as well as the region as a whole. Poverty and extreme income inequality are commonly seen in nations within the region such as Brazil, Venezuela and Cuba. These undesirable economic conditions can cause unrest in a region and can also contribute to citizens resorting to crime for financial reasons. By recognizing that these factors affect crime rates in the region and the effectiveness of these cartels, delegates can better address the issue by shifting their focus towards indirect causes of the drug trade, which can lead to approachable long term solutions. Delegates must also consider that due to events that occurred throughout the Cold War, relations between certain nations such as the U.S. and Cuba, Russia and Cuba, the U.S. in Nicaragua and Honduras, and the U.S. in Panama, are somewhat strained in relation to how domestic matters should be handled in those countries, while also considering how the aforementioned domestic policies affect international security. The most important thing for larger powers such as the five veto powers of United Nations Security Councils (i.e. U.S., U.K., France, Russia, China) that they respect these Latin American countries national sovereignties, keeping in mind that these nations must agree to any operations that are to take place within their borders before said operations can begin. This assembly hopes that with the cooperation of all parties that we can find an appropriate way of addressing the increasingly problematic drug trade in the near future. Questions to Consider: 1.) What are potential ways to curb narcotics trafficking in Latin America? 2.) Should all nations have an equal concern regarding Latin American drug trade or does this situation pertain primarily to the Americas? Why or why not? 3.) Is liberalization of drug laws a viable solution to Latin America’s narcotics trafficking problem? Why or why not? UNODC1 ­ Latin American Drug Superhighway­ 5 Sources for Further Research: CIA World Factbook United Nations Official Website UNODC Official Website SICA Official Website Works Cited SICA Official Website (Link: http://www.sica.int/sica/sica_breve.aspx) UNODC Official Website (Link: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/drug­trafficking/mexico­central­america­and­the­caribbean.html) "The Colombian Cartels." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2014. (Link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/business/inside/colombian.html) Chalk, Peter. "The Latin American Drug Trade: Scope, Dimensions, Impact, and Response." Project Air Force. N.p., 2011. Web. 2 Sept. 2014. Huey, David. "The US War on Drugs and Its Legacy in Latin America." The Guardian. N.p., 3 Feb. 2014. Web. 2 Sept. 2014. National Drug Intelligence Center. "National Drug Threat Assessment 2010." United States Department of Justice. United States Government, Feb. 2010. Web. 2 Sept. 2014. Seelke, Clare R., Liana S. Wyler, and June S. Beittel. "Latin American and the Caribbean: Illicit Drug Trafficking and the US Counterdrug Programs." Congressional Research Service, 30 Apr. 2010. Web. 2 Sept. 2014.