Can the U.S. Win the Narcos War?

About this episode

Mariana speaks with journalist Ioan Grillo about U.S.-Mexico security cooperation and the complexities of the Narcos War.

In this episode, Mariana speaks with Ioan Grillo, a journalist and prolific author specializing in organized crime and drug trafficking. They discuss how and why security cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico has increased to historic levels—fueled by the threats and demands imposed by President Trump, the impact U.S.-Mexican cooperation could actually have (and is starting to have) on the ground, the power and control organized crime exerts in large parts of the Mexican territory, and the size of the U.S. drug market which fuels this vicious circle. They also speak about the internal cartel wars, benefits that the designation of cartels as terror organizations could bring, the complications of going after the money, and how the use of military grade weaponry is changing the realities of this war.

People in this episode

Host: Mariana

Guest: Ioan Grillo

Topics covered

• U.S.-Mexico security cooperation
• organized crime
• drug trafficking
• cartel wars
• military grade weaponry
• drug market

Keywords

• Narcos War
• U.S.-Mexico cooperation
• organized crime
• drug trafficking
• cartel wars
• military weaponry
• drug market

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Center for Strategic and International Studies

Places: U.S., Mexico, Mexican

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