Brian Jenkins, Senior Adviser to the President of the RAND Corporation, has published many pieces on topics related to terrorism and was an adviser for the “National Commission on Terrorism.” In an interview with Federal Newswire, Jenkins said that designating cartels as "foreign terrorist organizations" would not result in more effective defense measures against the flow of illegal drugs and could even exacerbate the problem.
According to an article from Border Report, a recent GOP debate featured significant discussion on border security in America. Reportedly, many of the candidates voiced their support for military involvement at the southern border.
The article states that during the debate, candidate Ron DeSantis expressed his resolve to send troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in order to combat the cartels. Other candidates made similar remarks, according to the article, stating their opinions that federal funds should be reallocated to support the border.
In an article from The RAND Blog earlier this year, Brian Jenkins of the RAND Corporation expressed his opinion that labeling Mexican drug cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations (FTO),” an action that has been called for within Congress, may not be a prudent course of action. He states that many people support placing this label on the cartels out of a desire to send a “loud message.”
"The original objective in creating officially designated terrorist organizations was to give government investigators and prosecutors the same legal authorities they had for dealing with organized crime and drug traffickers," Jenkins told Federal Newswire. "We have ample statutes to go after organized crime."
The reality, he says, is that declaring cartels as FTOs would not result in more effective defense measures and could even exacerbate the problem.
"Driving the push to declare cartels to be terrorist organizations is the idea that it will facilitate the use of military force, but that is a separate strategic question, Jenkins said. "That is war in a neighboring country where over a million U.S. citizens live and manufacturing is critical to the U.S. economy. And I am still not certain exactly what U.S. forces would do. Bomb drug labs? Kill members of the cartel?"
According to Jenkins, current border security measures are ineffective at countering the flow of illegal drugs into the country, and the cartels will always find a way to circumvent these measures as long as there is a high demand for drugs.
"Americans have an enormous craving for drugs and will destroy their own lives to get them. The cartels produce what Americans want. Desperate demand and high profits make for a lucrative market," Jenkins told Federal Newswire. "Remember, the war on drugs began under the Nixon administration. That was ten administrations ago. The problem endures."
Jenkins suggested that instead of the border, policymakers should focus on improving specific areas of law enforcement that currently deal with drug-related crime.
"I doubt that a strategic assessment would say the border is the critical point," Jenkins said. "Military operations would have to encompass much of Mexico. And it would do little to reduce existing demand here. We have ample authority to carry out law enforcement operations in the United States—our own sovereign territory—although we may lack resources and the sustained commitment required. Campaigns to increase prosecution fail because the volume is so great."
According to his bio page on the RAND Corporation's website, Brian Jenkins is a “senior adviser to the president” of the organization. He is a “decorated combat veteran” and has published many pieces on topics related to terrorism. Among other positions, Jenkins has served on the “White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security,” and was an adviser for the “National Commission on Terrorism.”
