Diplomacy Refutes Decriminalization

From the beginning, when last February, the Guatemalan president released his proposal, a forceful response was launched by Washington to reduce to a minimum the approach of Perez Molina. The parade of U.S. officials onto the isthmus was swift; one of the most important was the visit by Vice President Joseph Biden at a meeting with Central American leaders in Tegucigalpa. Biden insisted on challenging the idea, something that distanced El Salvador, Honduras and later Nicaragua.

Our country was later visited by the Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, to strengthen the U.S. opposition to any concessions that would facilitate the movement of drugs. The same opposition arrived at Cartagena, with an air of triumphalism in the Summit of the Americas. The fact remains that it was in that forum that the highest authority of the United States, Barack Obama, took the opportunity to once again discredit the initiative.

However, the recent unfolding of events suggests there could still be a great strain for our country, judging by other events of this week. On Tuesday, the U.S. announced its new strategy against drug trafficking, where it not only called decriminalization obsolete, but also refocused the fight against drugs to be a fight against its illness and to promote the rehabilitation of patients with an innovative health system, not to mention safety.

Immediately, the next day, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs William Brownfield emphasized that the United States will not react to concepts such as “harm reduction or decriminalization” of drugs, but specific and detailed proposals. This offensive also intensified into other areas and by other actors, as demonstrated just two days ago by World Bank President Robert Zoellick, who called for the Central American private sector to be more involved in the fight against drug trafficking and to pay more taxes.

The counteroffensive against any attempt to decriminalize seems sharper. And with that scenario, it is obvious that the Guatemalan president should refine his idea and convert it into a real proposal that would find more followers. Above all, the proposal must have the strength to face the main arguments from Washington; that in the concert of nations there are undoubtedly more followers to Molina’s cause. If Perez Molina wants to insist on this approach, he certainly must be more convincing to those who show reasonable doubt at the thought.