The Trump administration reportedly directed the Department of Defense recently to begin to use military force against a slew of drug cartels in Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America. As a number of national security scholars and subject matter experts have argued, further militarization, particularly unilaterally, will not win the war on drugs. The White House should consider staying the course on its current diplomatic efforts while exploring demand-side options for curtailing the fentanyl crisis.

Despite their overheated rhetoric, President Trump and Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum have worked to resume cooperation on combating drug smuggling and cartel violence. The Mexican government has extradited two waves of incarcerated cartel associates to the United States, first

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