US must examine its drug policy

[suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

February 22, 1999 

Editorial

US must examine its drug policy

Great effort and hundreds of meetings go into making the annual certification
list of world nations to be issued next week. The list was begun a generation
ago when America was becoming the world's largest importer and user of illicit
and narcotic drugs. Twenty years on, the so-called certification process has
become virtually meaningless to the effort. While most US officials and
much of
the world try to stem and control the narcotics trade, the certification
process has become flawed.

It was not always thus. There are still elements of the certification
programme
which achieve its purpose. This is, according to the US state department, to
make the counter-narcotics operation transparent. Public diplomacy is always
controversial. Men and women in the diplomatic corps wince each time a country
is exposed as a drugs trafficker. It is better, they maintain, to work behind
the scenes.

That, presumably, is the reason why the foreign ministry recently praised the
Burmese regime for alleged progress in battling narcotics. Our political
leaders and intelligence chiefs have openly criticised Burma for its close
association with drug traffickers, money launderers and narcotics kingpins ?
both domestic and foreign. Our diplomats believe a little praise for two
recent
drug busts could convince Burma to change its ways. They would keep all
details
secret.

The US certification programme is the opposite. It names each country which
plays a significant role in international drug peddling. It then states
whether
that country is doing its best to oppose the traffickers ? or aiding them. If
it is the latter, in the president's opinion, then the US must impose
sanctions
on the country involved.

There always has been an element of politics about this process. In the 1970s,
when the attitude of some high-ranking police and army officers was
questionable, Thailand always received the benefit of the US doubts. We know
now that this was a wise decision. In fact, no Thai government ever has
supported drug trafficking.


In recent years, however, the tough cases have become fully politicised. The
Iranian regime has fought drugs traffickers, peddlers and money launderers
tooth and nail since the Islamic regime was established in 1979. But until
last
year, Iran was named each year as a facilitator of narcotics smugglers. Then,
suddenly, Iran was elevated to the list of nations which had taken steps to
eradicated its opium fields.

This reversal coincided with the imminent thaw in US relations. Then there was
also the case of Malaysia. Our neighbour is harshly committed to anti-drug
policies, but it was ? and is ? a centre of drug money laundering. Unable to
take some credit instead of total praise, Kuala Lumpur screamed about being
correctly identified. Washington removed the laundering reference from the
otherwise laudatory mentions of Malaysia.

This year, the major sticking point is Mexico. Cooperation with drugs
traffickers reaches into the very highest levels of the Mexican government.
Yet
President Clinton will almost certainly certify next Monday that Mexico is on
the side of the angels, so to speak. Otherwise, Mexican officials would become
angry and stop giving even that small amount of cooperation they currently
afford to their big brother to the north. 

The US state department claims quite correctly that the best way to attack
drug
corruption is to expose it regularly to public scrutiny. It claims quite
incorrectly that the annual certification process is unusually effective. 

Once, it was. But times have changed, and the certification process no longer
serves to hold corrupt or ineffective regimes up to the light for their
association with drug lords. 

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© Copyright The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 1999
Last Modified: Mon, Feb 22, 1999
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