The Epoch Times, July 2023
Designating Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations in a bid to solve the narcotics trafficking crisis at the southern border might be counterproductive, according to Max Abrahms, a foreign policy expert specialized in counterterrorism.
“The truth is, counterterrorism is often ineffective and can even be counterproductive,” Mr. Abrahms, who teaches political science at Northeastern University in Boston, said in an interview on EpochTV’s “Crossroads.”
In February, attorneys general from 21 Republican-led states urged (pdf) President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to declare Mexican drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). Doing so, they argued, would grant state and federal law enforcement increased powers to freeze cartel assets, deny members entry at the border, and allow prosecutors to pursue tougher punishments against the cartels’ supporters.
