Episode Details

America’s war on drugs is taking a sharply militarized turn. In this episode, we examine how the Trump administration revived Cold War–era tactics—reopening a naval base in Puerto Rico, deploying destroyers and even F-35 fighter jets—and rebranding Latin American drug gangs as “foreign terrorist organizations.” Supporters say force is finally being taken seriously; critics argue it’s a costly misfire against a fentanyl crisis that mostly moves over land from Mexico. We ask whether this new drug war is about real results—or recycled ideas dressed in military hardware.

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