Turning another lost war into an entertainment commodity

Last night CNN presented Narco-Wars; a CNN Special Report.

Narco-Wars is a documentary about the effect that America's war on the drug trade is having on the societies of Central America, featuring CNN's Kaj Larsen, who comes across as a Geraldo Lite character; a little brighter but slightly less obnoxious.

While it is about America's "war" on the drug trade, it goes to some lengths to avoid calling it that. Rather, we are to believe that we have made common cause with certain right-wing governments in Central America because we have a common enemy, i.e. the "narco-terrorists."

It has been well over fourty years since President Richard Nixon declared the war on drugs, but the real shooting war didn't get serious till Jose Calderon won a somewhat suspect election to become President of Mexico in 2006. Needing an issue to take the voters minds off the fact that they'd just been massively hosed, Calderon, with endless cheer-leading and financial support from Washington, declared all-out war on the Mexican drug cartels.

Since Mexico is merely a transit point between the drug-producing countries of South America and the worlds biggest market for illegal drugs, the USA, this is obviously a proxy war Calderon is waging on our behalf. The result of Calderon's war after six years? No change in the availability of illegal drugs in the US, approximately 50,000 violent drug-war deaths in Mexico, and the militarization of society in Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. And oh yes, the American taxpayer gets to foot the bill for this nonsense.

The CNN doc focuses on the situation in Honduras and Guatemala, which Larsen continuously reminds us are now by far the most violent societies in the world. Far worse than Mexico. Every 45 seconds or so he mentions this. There is no connection made between America's war on drugs and Central America's war on drugs except as some abstract we're-all-in-this-together feel-good cliche. There is however a great deal of attention paid to how much America is "helping" these countries in their war.

American guns, American SUVs, American helicopters, and American advisors are prominent in the film. All paid for by the ever-generous American taxpayer of course. From all appearances DEA agents actually command military units on the ground in Honduras and Guatemala.

Does Larsen offer any solutions? He isn't interested in any. He got a working trip out of it and something to add to his resume. It would seem a perfect opportunity to call attention to the futility of the entire exercise and to demand governments change their approach to the entire question of drug prohibition, but there's not a wiff of that.

In fact, the DEA agents bemoan the fact that they just don't have the resouces to effectively bring the cartels to heel. So hang on to your wallets, American taxpayers! We're in it to win it, costs be damned!

In the meantime, enjoy the documentary. At least you're getting something for your money.