McGowan Traffic

It is painfully obvious that our country's war on drugs will never be won. Perhaps they should stop and consider Albert Einstein's definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. As we take a peek at the Mexico story with the Tijuana cartel, we learn that this war could never win on a political level. The reason being: By taking down individual cartels, we are really strengthening others. Therefore, it is pointless. These cartels are far too numerous and potent for us to infiltrate. The reason that these cartels are so potent is because of their financial status. At one point, we learn that the cartels far exceed the budget of the war on drugs. They are also potent in the fact that they are violent and dangerous. It is a shame that American officers have been killed by the cartels over a war that will never be one. Another problem with this war is it's utter lack of secrecy. It seems that the war on drugs is doing the equivalent of an army broadcasting it's tactics before a battle. The cartels, on the other hand, are able to operate in a sly secrecy that hinders the US from keeping track of them. For instance, Robert Wakefield is told that the head of the Juarez cartel has died, basically marking the end of the cartel. We later find out that this is not true and that the Juarez cartel has actually grown stronger.

There are a few techniques the director used to highlight the futility of the war on drugs. It seems to me that the camera was always in a personal view of Robert Wakefield. This personal angle seemed to show his helplessness in the war on drugs. He always seemed to be insecure in what he was doing. The angle used in scenes in which General Salazar were shown often looked up at him to show his confidence and power. If you contrast these two frames, it seems as though General Salazar is a bully looking down at Robert Wakefield. I think that this is a good representation of the way that the cartels seem to look down on our war on drugs.