Drugs and Democracy in Latin America: The Impact Of U.S. Policy

Although the US has spent more than $25 billion on international drug-control programs over the last two decades, it has failed to reduce the supply of cocaine and heroin entering the country. It has, however, succeeded in generating widespread, often profoundly damaging, consequences, most notably in Latin America and the Caribbean. The authors of Drugs and Democracy in Latin America offer a comprehensive review of US drug-control policies toward the region, assess the impact of those policies on democracy and human rights, and present eight detailed case studies.

A project of the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), this major work is the first systematic, region-wide documentation and analysis of the collateral damage caused by the US war on drugs.