CNAS Hosts Discussion on Drug Cartels and U.S. National Security

On September 30, 2010, CNAS hosted an event to launch Crime Wars: Gangs, Cartels, and U.S. National Security, a groundbreaking CNAS report that surveys organized crime throughout the Western Hemisphere, analyzes the challenges it poses for the region and recommends the United States replace the "war on drugs" paradigm with comprehensive domestic and foreign policies to confront the interrelated challenges of drug trafficking and violence ranging from the Andean Ridge to American streets.

At the event, the diverse panel of experts discussing this national security challenge included: Dr. Vanda Felbab-Brown of the Brookings Institution's 21st Century Defense Initiative; Roberta Jacobson, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs; Michael Shifter, President of the Inter-American Dialogue; and CNAS Fellows Col. Robert Killebrew (Ret.) and Thomas Ricks.