Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Friday, April 13, 2012

Harper drug stance may hinder him at summit

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is flying to a weekend summit in Colombia where his hard line on drugs will put him at odds with some Latin American leaders who are calling for a debate over whether drug use should be decriminalized.

Harper's position on Cuba also could run afoul of a possible consensus by countries in central and South America.

Harper is attending the Summit of the Americas, a conference of leaders from 34 nations that is held every three years.

The talks this year will include such issues as trade expansion, and Harper will meet with senior business executives from Canada and elsewhere who are attending the summit to discuss investment in the Western Hemisphere.

As well, it's expected many Latin American leaders will argue the time has come, after decades of being barred from the summit, for Cuba to be invited to the next gathering.

That will run counter to the firm positions of Canada and the United States, which insist Cuba should not be permitted to attend the next summit until the communist regime initiates democratic reforms.

Meanwhile, another issue - illicit drugs - is top of mind for some leaders. The escalating violence connected to warring drug cartels in Latin America has some nations insisting it's time for a new approach: softer penalties for drug use or perhaps even a decriminalized system in which governments regulate how the drugs are sold.

To varying degrees, the leaders of Guatemala, Colombia, Mexico and Costa Rica have spoken out in favour of exploring approaches other than the criminal to the problem of illegal drug use.

But on Thursday, Harper's director of communications said Canada will argue strenuously against decriminalization of illegal drugs.

"The prime minister would be a strong voice in that debate," said Andrew MacDougall. "The government's strategy is, in fact, completely in the opposite direction.

"A key priority for us is to fight illicit drugs, particularly the transnational organizations that are behind the drug smuggling.

Here at home, we have put in place tough new laws to crack down on these groups, to put drug dealers behind bars where they belong."

Critics of the so-called 'war on drugs' approach note that Latin American drug cartels have grown more powerful as violence spreads throughout the region - claiming more than 50,000 lives in Mexico alone - and that drug use has only increased in rich nations such as Canada and the United States.

Suddenly, some leaders are looking to this weekend's summit in Cartagena, Colombia as a perfect opportunity to begin debate on a question that was once taboo: Why not remove the profits of the cartels by making the drug trade a legal - but highly regulated - business?

That's not an option being welcomed either by the Harper government, or by U.S. President Barack Obama's administration.

The Obama administration says it is open to a debate on the issue - if only to "demystify" decriminalization as an option and show that such a move would backfire and make matters worse.

Original Article
Source: canada.com
Author: Mark Kennedy

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