Brian Winter: belief

Transcript context

…Ecuador and Honduras are trying a bit, but half-heartedly. It may be an all-or-nothing thing if you’re going to make it work. Otherwise, gang members just train other gang members. Look, we do have examples in recent history, imperfect examples of countries that reduced violence and that broke the grip of drug gangs under democracy. I would cite Colombia of the 2000s. This was a period that saw many human rights abuses. A Colombian military that we now know killed thousands of innocent people, but — to the extent that it’s possible to say “but” after a declaration like that — homicide rates did dramatically fall, and it’s a very different-feeling country than it used to be. Point is, Bukele is not the only route. I agree with you when you say that there is no easy, fast, democratic route to improving security when you’re dealing with cartels and organized crime groups that have the resources that some of these groups do, with their pockets filled with the dollars of customers of cocaine in the United States, Europe, and other countries around Latin America. Speaking of Colombia, I have a question about the country. I’ve never understood this. If I look at the history long term, it seems — not seems, it is quite violent, even by Latin standards. If I look at the history of economic growth in Colombia, it’s actually fairly smooth and steady. Is there any single theory of the country that can account for both of those facts?…

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