Home grown is a must read for historians, criminologists, analysts, and policymakers, alike, especially those interested in understanding the origins of mexico s current political and social unrest, the cultural underpinnings for marijuana prohibition, or the broader war on drugs. And now, with the wall, theres an awareness of the border that just. The first section evaluates the size of the mexican drug trafficking industry. The book starts from the premise that the term mexican drug war is highly misleading, and implies that the conflict is an internal mexican problem. I read an excerpt from carmen boullosa and mike wallaces soontobe published book a narco history.
I was first drawn to read this by my little brother who was pimping it hard. With it, correacabrera has made a singular contribution to our collective understanding of the ongoing war in mexico. In telling the story of the expansion of drug trafficking and murder between laredo and nuevo laredo, slater integrates information from diverse sources and from. Although violence between drug cartels had been occurring for three decades, the mexican government held a generally passive stance regarding cartel violence through the 1980s and early 2000s. In this controversial book, watt and zepeda contend that the failing war on drugs in mexico, launched by president felipe caleron and funded by us military aid, is in fact a pretext for a usbacked strategy to bolster unpopular neoliberal policies, a weak yet authoritarian government, and a radically unfair status quo. The mexican drug war also known as the mexican war on drugs. The war on drugs is a largely unsuccessful campaign, led by the u. There are many claimants to his throne, but no clear winner. Confronting a shared threat thus provides a fresh look at one of the most important security threats in the western hemisphere and suggests recommendations for policy in.
Everything we have been told about drugs and drug addiction and how society should deal with them is wrong, says the british author and journalist johann hari. List of mexicos 37 mostwanted drug lords 2009 wikipedia. Mexican military runs up body count in drug war the new. I enjoyed the book if you can enjoy gore, however, it was documented history.
How the united states and mexico created the mexican war against drugs. An essential read, though, for those who seek to understand what life is like on the front lines of the war on drugs. Dr thomas rath, a lecturer in latin american history, breaks down the regional impact of the drug trade. May 06, 2018 in wolf boys, slater takes readers on a harrowing, often brutal journey into the heart of the mexican drug trade. Starnews the opening scene of don winslows the cartel takes hold like a vise, and for the next 600 pages the book keeps a tight grip as it takes the reader into the underbelly of americas 30year war on drugs. The book s thesis is that nafta opened the uss door to drugs from mexico, mixing them with legal trade, which is false. Her book adds significantly to the literature in that it provides an historical, social, and political context to fully undersand the current war on drugs, its impact particularly on african american communities, and the apparent reluctance of the government to critically address americas approach to drug use. Since president felipe calderon declared a war on drugs in december 2006, more than 38,000 mexican have been murdered. How the united states and mexico jointly created the mexican drug war. The mexicanamerican war, also known in the united states as the mexican war and in mexico as the intervencion estadounidense en mexico u. Don winslow digs into modern drug war with new novel the border winslow talks about writing a trilogy, the war on drugs and whats it like to delve so deeply into the narco world for so long. The book details all legislation, parties, and players involved in the drug war and how devasting it has been to both countries.
The timeline of some of the most relevant events in the mexican drug war is set out below. Mexicos drug war goes much deeper than drugs the new republic. As the global war on drugs fades away, the only people who. A guide to mexicos most powerful drug cartels bbc news. If youve read the news lately, you probably know something about the mexican drug war. Has it turned the tide the cartel was initially led by juan garcia abrego, the first mexican drug lord to be included in the fbis 10 most wanted list.
The book contains interviews with pharmaceutical pioneers, mexican entrepreneurs, narcotics investigators, as well as addicts and their families, and it shows how the collision of these two events. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. His book more specifically focuses on gabriel cardona, a teenager from laredo, tx who becomes caught up in the drug war. As of 8 january 2016, 25 drug lords have been captured, eight have been killed and four remain fugitives. Undercover inside the mexican drug war excerpt in this extract, the anonymous duo behind the blog del narco tell why they risk their lives to document mexico s war. The autobiography of a mexican assassin by molly molloy, prayers for the stolen by jennifer clement, the fi. Nov 06, 2015 but as camposcostero explained in his recent book, home grown. More than 60,000 people are missing amid mexico s drug war, officials say this article is more than 3 months old mexican authorities admit the number is far higher than previously estimated as. Therefore, knowledge about narcocults and spirituality related to the drug trade can be incredibly useful to narcotics officers, military and intelligence agents, and even the average street cop. There can be little doubt that the social, economic, and political challenges posed by drug trafficking are grave for. Don winslow digs into modern drug war with new novel the border.
Don winslow digs into modern drug war with new novel the. He could hardly have arranged a better launch for his book, which is already. Read cnns fast facts to learn more about how the mexican government has been fighting against drug traffickers since december 2006. Mexico showrunner eric newman speaks to the hollywood reporter about the narrator reveal, openended finale and potential for a second season of the netflix drug cartel drama. Inside mexico s criminal insurgency kindle edition by grillo, ioan.
May 19, 2010 npr also looked at releases for arrests in the ciudad juarez area starting in march 2008, when the mexican army arrived in juarez as part of the countrys drug war. Marijuana and the origins of mexicos war on drugs, the drug war alliance between the u. Last year, wallace and boullosa cowrote a book called a narco history. How arrest of the last don heralds ruthless new drugs era. Now for the much darker side of the border in recent years. This article focuses on the continued attractiveness of failed state strategic thinking that stretches across policymaking and academic circles and links it to the issue of the war on drugs in mexico. This book should be required reading for anyone interested in understanding why there is such a drug war, how it started, and why its not going to go away anytime soon. Winslow talks about writing a trilogy, the war on drugs and whats it like to. The book provided a clear outline of how the war on drugs was established in the united states and the intended or unintended consequences on mexico. Mexico relations complicated, conditioned by drug war host scott simon speaks with david shirk about u. It does so in order to challenge, if not reject, caricatured representations of failed states. One unlikely figure, however, has his eyes on the prize.
The drug war has claimed thousands of lives in mexico and now the violence. The mexican drug war is not a simple narrative between mexican and american drug enforcement against drug traffickers but a complex web of policy making. A narco history delves into the mosaic narrative of the mexican drug declared by mexican president vicente fox which his predecessors ignore andor were in bed with the drug traffickers. Books for understanding covid19 submitted by eea on fri, 20200306 9. I was hoping it would be more indepth with what is currently going on between the cartels and the mexican. His life and vast drugtrafficking empire have been the subject of numerous books and tv series. The cartel, and don winslows previous book on the mexican drug trade the power of the dog are best described as a twopart, fictionalized history of the war on drugs in mexico. Two american teenagers and mexico s most dangerous drug cartel by dan slater. Confronting a shared threat thus provides a fresh look at one of the most important security threats in the western hemisphere and suggests recommendations for policy in both washington and mexico city. Inside mexicos criminal insurgency kindle edition by grillo, ioan. The best books on the war on drugs five books expert. Mexico relations complicated, conditioned by drug war. Mar 07, 2019 arts entertainment books the border chronicles how one author feels the u. The cartel is going to blow our minds and leave us wanting for more.
History changes historian kyle ward speaks with steve inskeep about his. Defined by corruption the following publication is rife with manipulation and corruption of mexico s highest regarded political positions and jurisdictions. It focuses instead on the nature and consequences of what we call the totalization of the drug war, and its projection on other domains which are key to understanding the nature of mexican democracy. The book starts in mexico s earliest history and tells of the power struggles up to the present day. Aug 11, 2012 on a side note cocaine death squads and the war on terror, released earlier this year, is an exellent book in a similar vein to this one that has many insights on the drug war in colombia crucial for understanding the current direction of us and mexican policy under merida. To counter this, the authors focus on the key role that washington policymakers have played in creating and sustaining the violence south of the border. People choose to commit crimes, and thats why they are locked up or locked out, we are told. Under his leadership, the cartel garnered a fierce reputation for.
More than 60,000 people are missing amid mexicos drug war. The 7 best books for understanding the opioid crisis 2018. Since i first read it i decided to skim through it again and it still stands i think as one of the best books out there on the ongoing mexican drug war. I think as one of the best books out there on the ongoing mexican drug war. A mexican doctor named leopoldo salazar viniegra, who treated drug addicts. The money was seized from alleged members of the guzman loera drug. Inside mexicos criminal insurgency, he takes a wider lens to the problem of drugs cartels.
I think most of the us population is as naive as i was about the drug war, which is why this book is so important. It focuses on understanding the business, the main mexican illegal drug products, and the share of the us market that belongs to mexican. Understanding the use of afrocaribbean and mexican religious cultures in the drug wars looks at the growing phenomenon of narcocults. His latest book the border is the latest in his cartel trilogy, a series that covers murder, betrayal and family ties. Alarming, boldfaced titles about the mexican drug cartels blare from my computer screen regularly, and thats not just because i spent my summer researching cartel violence. Love in the drug war selling sex and finding jesus on the.
Dan slaters book highlights the ongoing border war and drug smuggling that spread across news outlets like a pestilence over the last decade. A little more than six months after the massacre in iguala, guerrero, for example where fortythree students disappeared at the hands of a local drug cartel news outlets focus almost exclusively on the csilike plotline. Oneil explains that beyond the narrative of violence that dominates the headlines is a more hopeful mexico with a globally competitive economy, a. Collectively, campbells drug war workers present a symbiotic relationship between the vast amount of drugs in mexico and the insatiable appetite for illicit substances. Npr also looked at releases for arrests in the ciudad juarez area starting in march 2008, when the mexican army arrived in juarez as part of the countrys drug war. Inside mexicos criminal insurgency by ioan grillo is an outstanding chronicle of the mexican drug war. The bloody rise of the colombian and mexican cartels that control the global cocaine. Beheadings, balaclavas, and arsenals of ak47s these are the ugly images that travel to the us from mexicos drug war. In mexican drug circles, it is now the postbarrera era. Grillos book draws a portrait of the mexican drug cartels and how they have.
The best books about the united states and mexico border. After fleeing to france and mexico city, he returned to italy. For example, i had no idea mexican cartels are growing marijuana in our national forests. Mexico showrunner eric newman speaks to the hollywood reporter about the narrator reveal, openended finale and potential for a second season of the netflix drugcartel drama. The mexican government has been fighting a war with drug traffickers since december 2006. What is revealed is a very bloody machine that continues to make mexico one of the.
Wolf boys is recommended for those interested in developing a thorough understanding of the processes by which mexican drug cartels expanded their reach within mexico and into the u. This is a list of mexico s 37 mostwanted drug lords as published by mexican federal authorities on 23 march 2009. Mar 15, 2020 as the global war on drugs fades away, the only people who benefited were drug traffickers we here in the drug war homeland remain largely oblivious to the consequences of our drug policies overseas. The genius of the current caste system, and what most distinguishes it from its predecessors, is that it appears voluntary. Though drug trafficking flourished in mexico throughout much of the 20th century, the everincreasing brutal violence associated with the production and trafficking of illicit drugs had by 2009 sparked the dispersal of 45,000 mexican soldiers and 5,000 policemen across the country and attracted worldwide attention as images of beheaded corpses were featured in the international media. I originally read this book years ago and have since also read sicario, which is an excellent book on the narcos and their inner workings. Feb 21, 2019 don winslows the border offers a harrowing look at the war on drugs.