Andres Oppenheimer
While virtually all headlines from the
To my surprise, in his speech at the
I happen to like what Obama said about most of these issues, including his reminder to the world that
But it felt odd that Obama didn't mention the words drugs, cartels, organized crime, or
According to United Nations Development Program estimates,
Predictably, one of the few presidents who raised the issue was
Minutes after Obama's references to the tyrants who are repressing civilians in
Calderon said that the drug cartels are becoming more powerful than many governments thanks to their fabulous profits from drug sales, and because they are getting easy access to heavy weapons from across the U.S. border.
What is the solution? First,
Stopping very short of endorsing drug legalization, Calderon suggested that if efforts to reduce U.S. and European drug consumption fail, drug-consuming nations should "seek other options, including market alternatives, to stop drug traffickers from continuing to be the source of violence and death."
"The U.S. strategy hasn't changed: it continues largely based on interdiction in
My opinion: Obama had good reasons to focus on the Israeli-Palestinian dispute,
There are many things
Instead of ignoring reality, Obama should place
Twitter: @ihavenet
- Hard Facts: The World Is Getting Better
- United Nations Can't Save the Oppressed, But It Can Give Them a Voice
- Obama's International Outsourcing
- Radical Islamist Cleric Anwar al-Awlaki Killed in Yemen
- Anwar Al-Awlaki's Death Major Victory For Counter-Terrorism
- United States Gaze Turns to Uzbeks
- Fiscal Union for the Euro: Some Lessons from History
- German Parliament Approves Hike in EU Loan Guarantees
- Preparing for Greece's Failure
- Despite Austerity Measures Greece Will Still Miss EU Budget Cut Targets
- Greece Working to Convince EU it Can Meet Austerity Demands
- Greek Parliament Approves New Property Tax
- Greeks to Face Further Tough Measures
- Albania's Unsettled Past
- Balkans Summit Extols Regional Co-Operation
- Erdogan Pushes for Common Future with Balkan States
- Turkey's Sinking Lira Defies Soaring Economy
- Kukan: Dialogue Not Barricades
- Arab Spring Turkish Harvest
- Iran at a Crossroads
- Iran's Support of Syria Is Backfiring
- The Mottled Relationship: Iran and Latin America
- Is It a Mistake to Draw Solace From Iran's Long Bomb Gestation Period?
- Arab Spring Added Pressures to Middle East Peace Process
- Israel Accepts Quartet Proposal to Resume Peace Talks
- Blocking Palestinian Statehood
- The Occupation That Time Forgot
- Israeli Parliamentarians Call for Annexation of West Bank
- U.S. Congress: Standard Bearer for Israeli Expansion
- Michele Bachmann 'Blames' Obama for Arab Spring
- Saudis Tussle Over Textbook
- Saudi Arabia Grants Women Limited Right to Vote
- Egypt Eyes New Arms Suppliers
- Saleh Return Deepens Crisis In Yemen
- Other Leaders Should Copy Brazil's Anti-graft Measures
- Obama's U.N. Omission: The War Next Door
- The Drug War Spreads the Bloodbath South
- Mexican Cartels and Pan American Games: A Threat Assessment
- Mexico: Death by Social Media
- Big Agriculture's Latin American Exploits
- Is Free Trade Good for Colombia
- China in Search of Energy Security
- Cuba's Domestic Reforms Surge Past Immobilized United States
- Fears Over Environmental Affects Prompt Court To Halt Mega-Dam Project
- Bolivian Workers Strike to Protest Controversial Highway
- Afghanistan is Obama's Gordian Knot
- Why Are Pakistan's Militant Groups Splintering?
- Questions Raised About Haqqani Network Ties with Pakistan
- Russia Strives to Clarify Vision for Central Asian Alliance
- Azerbaijan Faces Difficult Choice Between Turkey and Israel
- Azerbaijan Wrestles with Iranian Predicament
- In Post-Soviet Central Asia Russian Takes Back Seat
- Stabilizing Congo
- The Balkanization of Somalia
- Refugees Still Vulnerable in Southern Kordofan
- Al Shabaab Attacks Kill 16 at Key Somali Border Town
- Is Africa New Breeding Place for Terrorism?
- Somali Media Press on with Work Despite Deadly Challenges
- China-Indian Trade: Smoothening the Rough Edges
- The Survival of North Korea
- The 'Orchid Revolution' in Singapore
- Counterinsurgency and 'Op Sadhbhavana' in Jammu and Kashmir
- Indian Foreign Policy in Search of a Balance
- Philippines Struggles After Two Typhoons
- Typhoon Nesat Death Toll Rises to 20
- Obama's Dilemma: Foreign Policy and Electoral Realities
- The Theology of Armageddon
- Why Al-Qaeda Won
- Anti-Globalization Movement Endures
- WikiLeaks: The Game Changer
- Israel's Truths and Omissions on Vote for Palestine State
- How to Save Israel and the United States from Themselves
- Obama's Middle East Dilemma
- Palestinian Leader: Obama Wrong to Take Israel's Side
- Israeli Settlers: Never Shy About Taking Law Into Own Hands
- Israel: The Cost of Arrogance
- For Israeli Tycoons: New Strings Attached
- Israeli Innovation on Display
- Saudis to United States: You're Sleeping on the Couch Tonight
- Over 5,000 Killings In Syria Since March
- Iran Arrests Six for Supplying Information to BBC
- Iran: Naval-Gazing More Political Than Military
- Oman Assisting United States to Release Hikers in Iran
- Al-Jazeera: You're Not Alone
- Controversial Comeback For Egypt's Emergency Laws
- Turkish PM Erdogan Encounters Two Egypts on Historic Visit
- Turkey: Violence Casts Pall Over Constitutional Reform Efforts
- Turkey: How Much of a Safe Haven for Political Dissidents?
- Turkey's Neo-Ottoman Foreign Policy
- Libya to Have a New Government within 7-10 Days
- Libya Could Break Up Like Somalia
- Libya and the Bully Problem
- The Difficult Bit: The Arab Spring After Libya
- Middle East and North Africa Face Shortfall of Affordable Homes
- Lean Season Awaits Migrants Escaping Libya
- Kenya: NCDs and HIV Fight for Limited Resources
- Kenya: Thousands of Children to be Immunized Amid Polio Outbreak
- Horn of Africa Migrants Beaten, Deported, Imprisoned
- Rights Groups Report on Somalia Downplayed
- Congo Refugees Unwilling to Return Home
- The New Scramble for Africa
- Japan's PM Must Quell China's Fears About His Nationalism
- Fukushima Evacuees Slam Compensation Requirements
- Nuclear Data Feared Stolen in Hacks of Japanese Sites
- Second Lovers' Shooting Hits Largest Philippine Mall Operator
- Aquino Off to U.S. for Open Government Partnership Launch
- Aquino Orders Imprisonment of Former Philippine Military Comptroller
- Timeline of Australian Asylum-Seeker Debate
- Australia's Military Capabilities Up in the Air
- Islamist Rampage Blamed in Bangladesh Riots
- United States to Help Bangladesh Combat Bird Flu
- Indian Earthquake Prompts 'Wake-Up Call'
- Germany and the US: Toward a 'Special Relationship'?
- Britain - Russia: Beyond Politics
- Central Banks Lend Dollars to European Banks
- Eurozone Pushes Greece to Speed Up Economic Reforms
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