Noriega Drug Piracy Research Paper

Drug cartels have arisen as a major crisis for the future in the Americas. Individuals indulge themselves on drugs for many reasons such as tradition, attempting to escape poverty, and generating revenue for rebellious activities. Drug trafficking has proven to be ludacris, with the increasing involvement of corrupt government officials in their distribution. The UN has stated the approximate estimation of profits of drug trade is roughly around $150 billion alone in the Americas, which accounts slightly less than 5% GDP. Currently the most common way of drug transport is land through Central American countries like Mexico, and it eventually crosses over the border to the United States.

The topic I have chosen to address is the drug culture in Mexico. I will aim to answer the question: how has the drug culture in Mexico corrupted its youth? The geography of Mexico has contributed greatly to it becoming a drug trafficking hot spot. Mexico is located in the middle of the world’s largest consumer and producer of cocaine. The United States is the world’s largest consumer of cocaine and Colombia is the world’s largest producer of cocaine. Drug cartels have taken advantage of this location and control many different areas in Mexico. In Mexico the most powerful Cartels are based in the north. The reason for this is to establish

Cuba is near Florida and we already had business associations with them. Also, the Spanish were trying to take over them. We were against the Spanish and we didn’t want them to expand so this lead to the Spanish- American War. This war also is fought over the Philippines. We ended up winning the war. We felt Cuba could expand and also maintain the business we already had. Also, if we go to when the Cold War was occurring, we were threatened that Cuba would join the USSR and become communists. The reason we wanted Panama was simply for the Panama Canal. We wanted the Panama Canal since it was a faster route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean so this would fasten the process of trade which means more business would be occurring so this would give us more wealth and power.

Mexican drug cartels have been expanding its portfolios to include doing business in sex trafficking. The Zetas are the most feared drug cartel in Mexico’s drug, sex trafficking trade, and etc.; the Zetas are a criminal army made up of defectors from the Mexican military. Anybody who crosses them will more than likely get their heads chopped off or won’t live to see another day.

Most appalling is the notion that Noriega was a double agent for Cuba and Nicaragua's Sandinistas. This resulting in the U.S disclaiming Noriega and a trail by the federal grand juries. After Noriega began to form a army, called the Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF), and gained control of Panama with the manipulation of presidential election to he would have a puppet president. A number of reasons caused tension between the PDF and the US grew resulting in the invasion of US into Panama. These reason being protecting the lives of U.S citizens, conserving democracy in Panama, to combat drug trafficking, and the control over the Panama Canal. The invasion of Panama was an act of unilateralism, we engaged in such a conflict alone and because it was a response to the shooting of a U.S Marine by the PDF. The invasion of Panama was initially to fight for democracy but later developed into a more self-interest motive, considering the U.S want of control over the Panama canal. I being a U.S citizen like to believe that the invasion of Panama in 1989 was a form of internationalism in hopes to help the civilians of Panama. Researching the topic makes me skeptical, the whole collaboration with Noriega should have been more monitored or dissolved completely after the slightest

This led to a sense of fear among the people of Panama C) Though it can't be proven, it is believed that the US helped organize the Civic Crusade to combat the corruption. After Manuel attempted to rig the 1989 election, he called it void due to outside interference. He named his own leader while the US recognized another setting up for a face off D) After multiple incidents of assaults on US soldiers, the US invaded Panama and after a tense battle and eventual standoff, Manuel surrendered.

The motivation behind US endeavors during the Cold War was to interfere with Latin American countries politically to counter the spread of communist ideologies that were seen by the US as being directly opposed to its economic and philosophical interests. The US’ economic interests were spread and consolidated through corporations operating within Latin America such as Alcoa, United Fruit, and others. It is through these corporate interests, which were under threat of nationalizion in their respective countries by leftist governments taking hold, that the US justified much of its involvement toppling governments in the region.

Doing so in a time where everyone scrambled to collect money, only increased the likelihood of corruption. Paying with drug money appealed to those in the covert war, covert meaning secretive activities are fulfilled without knowing the sponsors. Thus, the U.S. could disagree with the action, but still not know that they were sponsoring, since many drug traffickers disguised their intentions while negotiating with political groups. Also, the weapons and/or drugs were supplied by various people, even by professional personnel, such as the Panamanian Defense Forces, so we do know there was governmental involvement, not just naïve volunteering. The drug traffickers may have made a deal that if the U.S. or other participating countries provided weapons, they would provide them with drugs to produce money in order to give the traffickers the weapons, without losing resources or causing financial

The United States has a long history of intervention in the affairs of one it’s southern neighbor, Latin America. The war on drugs has been no exception. An investigation of US relations with Latin America in the period from 1820 to 1960, reveals the war on drugs to be a convenient extension of an almost 200 year-old policy. This investigation focuses on the commercial and political objectives of the US in fighting a war on drugs in Latin America. These objectives explain why the failing drug policy persisted despite its overwhelming failure to decrease drug production or trafficking. These objectives also explain why the US has recently exchanged a war on drugs for the war on

On December 20 of 1989, 26,000 U.S. troops invaded Panama in ‘‘Operation Just Cause’’ to expel and capture the country's strong man, the former general Manuel Antonio Noriega and destroy his military. No honest Panamanian, no human being can be indifferent to the horror of war, one can justify the thousands of dead innocent civilians. ‘‘Forget Prohibited’’ as many Panamanians says for this day, the world's most powerful country United States of North America, economic and military power was the right throw unwarranted. No declaration of war, to attack and invade a small country of 2 million inhabitants in that time.

So, they began feeding the public information about Noriega’s involvement in drug trafficking in order to undermine him. Noriega’s involvement in drug trafficking was soon placed in a number of news articles. Unfortunately, at that time, the general agreement was that the cost of military intervention would outweigh whatever benefits they could hope to gain. In addition, Noriega had considerable knowledge of U.S. military and intelligence (Robinson, 190). Because Washington had no wish to be defeated as they had in previous wars during the Cold War, and Noriega was not an imminent threat, they chose to restrain themselves from using military force.

Drug trafficking is a major issue in Colombia, causing many other issues across the country. Many people involved in the drug trade including civilians are being killed, kidnapped, and injured over this problem. Over the years, the government has started cracking down on the growers, producers, and sellers but so far, they have only caught minor criminals. The government is making agreements with neighboring countries and finding alternative uses for the crops to slow down the production of drugs. Despite all of the efforts being made to stop drug trafficking, violence, and production the cartels are still thriving throughout Colombia.

Films often depict the trade and use of drugs in Latin America as an extremely violent situation. Countries like Columbia or Mexico are usually where the drugs come from while the United States are the destination. More times than not, Latin America plays the role of an antagonist while the United States plays the protagonist. A film about Latin America, when pertaining to the United States, can fall into one of three categories: fully Latin American, a joint effort between Latin American countries and the United States, or a film by the United States. Gerado Naranjo’s Miss Bala (2011), is a Mexican film that is set in Tijuana, Mexico, and follows a young Mexican pageant girl as she becomes mixed up in the Mexican drug cartels. Maria Full

What is the first thing that comes into your mind when you hear of the region Latin America? Poverty, violence, drugs? Latin America is a major region where drugs are generated, imported, and exported. The general stereotype with regards to Latin America is that the region is drug infested due to the history of use, the problems regarding drug trafficking, and the continued statistics proving the ongoing use of drugs. Despite the fact that not every country in Latin America fits in this mold, history and data supports this impression.

Drug cartels have grown and expanded throughout the interior and exterior of states for many years. The way drugs started to be introduced to Mexico, Colombia, and other places around the world was believed to be a myth. It was a tale that was known by many through storytelling, which over the years turned into an actual realistic issue. One of the most known cartels that existed for a long time was The Medellin Cartel. It became a subculture of its own, creating a world full of violence, women, money, firearms, death but most importantly power and fear. Located in Colombia this brutal subculture will show how they become one of the wealthiest subculture in the world surpassing even its own country’s riches.