In this week’s episode of the podcast Open to Debate, four debaters take on the question “Should the U.S. Militarize the War on Drugs?” Those in favor of militarization argue that Mexican cartels and Venezuelan-backed traffickers operate with the sophistication of armed insurgencies, and only military force can disrupt their reach. Previous strategies have failed, and only aggressive deterrence will stop the fentanyl crisis and reclaim border control. But other policy officials warn that bypassing congressional approval sets a dangerous precedent, and militarization has historically failed to stop drug flows, often leaving civilian casualties, diplomatic fallout, and little long-term success.

ARGUING YES: Sean McFate, Professor of Strategy at the National Defense University, one of the world’s leading experts on mercenaries and the future of war Andres Martinez-Fernandez, who leads The Heritage Foundation’s work on U.S. policy toward Latin America ARGUING NO: Will Freeman, CFR Fellow whose work focuses on the rule of law, corruption and organized crime in Latin America, as well as U.S.-Latin America relations.

Aileen Teague, Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University whose research focuses on issues of interventionism, militarization, and drug control. The debate was recorded before a live audience at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.
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