The Unprincipled War: Looking at the War on Drugs
Abstract
The Drug War is real. President Bush declared the effects of the Narcotrafficking enterprises as a threat to the vital national interests. With a budget of over $1 billion annually, not including economic and security assistance programs, we are attempting to fight a scourge that inflicts over 10, 000 American deaths annually and exacerbates the societal problems with 300,000 drug-dependent births each year. The threat has been identified. We have anywhere from 37 to 154 agencies involved in fighting the threat. The money, material and manpower is involved, so why do I call the drug war unprincipled ? It is the adage of doing things smarter. The people involved in the fight certainly have principles and integrity but unfortunately not a lot of cohesion. The U.S. Army has established a list of 'principles of war' that I believe are applicable as a guiding tool in the drug war fight. As I attempted to apply the principles across the spectrum of players involved, some glaring problems revealed themselves. The paper doesn't solve the problems; but-as an analyst knows - identifying the problem is a major factor in solving the problem.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 18, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA266646
Entities
People
- John L. Ahart
Organizations
- Naval War College