Should Military Force Be Used Against Drug Cartels?

2024 presidential candidate Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) recently suggested he would “reserve the right” if elected president to use military force on Mexican soil to combat drug cartels operating in the region. Is this a fair and effective response to the United States’ drug crisis?

For Context: DeSantis is not the only politician floating the idea of using military force to combat the cartels. In January, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) and Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) proposed a bill to give President Biden authorization to do just that. Additionally, 2024 Republican front-runner Donald Trump reportedly asked policy advisors for a plan to declare “war against the cartels.”

“Short Order”: Former Attorney General Bill Barr told The National Review (Right bias) that “the ability to use special operations and precision operations against what are paramilitary forces will allow us to reduce them in pretty short order.” Barr went on to say that collaboration with Mexico to fight the cartels is difficult since the Mexican government is “so corrupt that you can’t trust them” and the “criminal-justice system is completely nonfunctional even in the best of times.”

“Exacerbate the Problem”: An opinion writer in USA Today (Lean Left bias) said the use of military force against the cartels would “exacerbate the problem, instead of resolving it,” adding, “the militarization of anti-drug efforts contributes to additional violence, without any long-term reduction in the demand or supply of drugs.” Additionally, the writer warned the diplomatic fallout between the U.S. and Mexico would be “dire.”