Andres Oppenheimer
While
I was surprised to learn during my visit here that crime has suddenly become the No. 1 concern among Costa Ricans. Despite the fact that
The average homicide rate of the five Central American countries is 43 people per 100,000 inhabitants a year, more than twice that of
Last year, the homicide rate in
In an interview at the presidential palace, Costa Rica President
Much of the rise in
"Of course I'm concerned," Chinchilla said. "If I project some of the trends we are seeing in
She added, "I'm trying to be ahead of the curve, because this is a problem that once it takes root in society, it creates enormous social traumas and social costs."
U.S. officials say
"History shows us that it's physically impossible for a country to remain exclusively as a transit point," Brownfield told me earlier in the week.
Drug transit countries become drug consuming countries for the simple reason that drug traffickers pay their contacts with cocaine or heroin, rather than with cash. And their local contacts later sell these drugs at home, he said.
My opinion: Despite Washington's claims to the contrary, the drug cartels' move from
First, after the U.S.-backed plan
It's time to start a serious discussion on whether to legalize marijuana, and use the proceeds for education and drug prevention in
Otherwise, we'll be continuing to spend billions of dollars and engaging in bloody wars, only to keep pushing the drug cartels from one place to the next.
- Never-Ending Drug War Moves to Central America
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- OAS Makes Bad 'Error' in Nicaragua
- Condoleezza Rice Book Shows 'Inattention' to Latin America
- Anonymous vs. Zetas Amid Mexico's Cartel Violence
- Child Poverty and Access to Education: Hidden Costs on the Hispanic Community
- Rafael Correa Remains the Strongest Leader in Ecuador, but his Influence is Waning
- Brazil's Truth and Reconciliation Commission
- Panamanian Corruption Spreads to Land Holdings and Prominent Politicians
- Cuban Economic Reform Allows Private Home Sales
- Cuba's Communist Party Condemns U.S. Immigration Policy
- Submarine Near Venezuela Prompts Accusations Against United States
- Seven Billion People: So Why Do Some Fear Population Decline?
- The Broken Contract: Inequality and American Decline
- The Wisdom of Retrenchment: America Must Cut Back to Move Forward
- Colombia and Panama Trade Deals Just a Chance
- Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner Wins Re-election by a Landslide
- Families of Illegal Immigrants Search for Lost Relatives in Mexico
- A Way Out of Mexico's Morass
- NAFTA Is Starving Mexico
- Redeployment of Mexican Soldiers to Urban Areas Boosting Illegal Drug Production
- Mexicans Complain About Secret U.S. Infiltration of Drug Cartels
- Cuba's Culture of Dissent
- Latin America's Blind Love With China May Be Over
- Drug War Madness
- Brazil's Really Big Problem
- Ex-Border Security Chief Calls Fence a Dumb Idea
- Argentina: Funding for a Cause
- Mexico and the United States: Surgical Strikes in the Drug Wars
- Despite Victory, Argentine Leader Faces Hard Choices
- Chilean 'Model' Is Shaken, but Very Much Alive
- Student Protests May Lead to a Better Chile
- Winds of Change: Uruguay's Sustainable Energy Plans
- The Pain in Spain
- Latin America's Security Dilemma
- A President-for-Life in Argentina? Not Likely
- There's Hope for Mexico and Central America
- Chile: The Fight to Make Education a Guaranteed Right
- Death of Layton Poses Challenge for NDP Interim Leader
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