America’s war on drugs is starting to look a lot like its war on terror. In this episode, we examine Washington’s turn toward military force in Latin America—reviving old naval bases, deploying destroyers, fighter jets, and drones, and rebranding drug gangs as “narco-terrorists” to justify air strikes. Inspired by counter-terror playbooks from the post-9/11 era, the strategy promises toughness but raises serious questions: can billion-dollar military hardware actually stop fentanyl trafficking, most of which flows over land from Mexico? And at what cost—financially, diplomatically, and strategically—does this escalation come? We unpack whether this show of force is a serious solution or a familiar, expensive mistake.

https://www.economist.com/united-states/2025/10/13/the-new-war-on-drugs