Iran Nuclear Talks: The Latest Report

Iran Nuclear Talks: The Latest Report

            As mentioned in the previous blog, in late of January 2014, Iran and the U.N. Security Council made an interim agreement in regards to Iran's nuclear program; whereby, Iran complied to the demands of the Western Powers by decreasing their original amount of enriched uranium.  Recently, on March 18th, a U.N. meeting was held in Vienna to discuss the current status of the parties' temporary indenture that will be ending as of June 20th.  Reporters from USA Today as well as the New York Times, have both concluded that the outcome of the Vienna Conference was positive and "hopeful" (Madhani).  The International Atomic Energy Agency, which overlooks Iran's nuclear production, has confirmed that the middle-eastern nation was meeting its commitments under the six-month deal.  "The report said that the enrichment of uranium to [medium levels] had stopped, and that a part of Iran's stockpile of that uranium [is being down-blended, and the remainder is being converted to uranium oxide,] as the deal requires" (Senators).  The March conference in Vienna was considerably successful, and a follow-up meeting is scheduled for April 7th.

             The F5+1 (Britain, France, Russia, United States, China, plus Germany) and Iran have all benefited economically since the initiative was implemented in January.  In return, for respecting the requirements made by the U.N.; previous sanctions which have inhibited much of Iran's economic growth have been alleviated.  Over the past three months, Iran has been able to some of the $4.2 billion of restricted reserve funds, and if both sides remain compliant; the country will have access to the full sum by the end of Spring (Erlanger).  Due to the loosening of some trade restrictions in the petrochemical, precious metals, and auto industries; Iran will be expected to increase its GDP by 1% in 2015 (Madhani).  According to managing director of Turquoise Partners, Ramin Rabii, "If sanctions are reduced, it will open up this untapped market, one of the few untapped markets on the planet, to foreign investors.  There will be huge interest.  It's not clear of course what a deal will look like, but if there is a deal there will be a huge flow of investment in Iran" (Gewirtz).

            Petroleum is by far the most utilized fuel source on the planet, and Iran debatably, has roughly 10% of the world's oil.  Unbeknownst to most, the sanctions against Iran impact people on a global level currently. Economist researcher Trevor Houser, has detailed that in the scenario that all sanctions were lifted, the price of oil would drop significantly, however, the possibility of this happening soon is very unlikely.  Though the U.N. has initiated plans for new agreement after June 20th, many influencing parties are in opposition.  Some members of the United States Congress have expressed their criticisms of the international appeasement of Iran's sanctions, because they believe that with a better economy Iran will be less fearful in the future; if there were new the threat of economic sanctions.   

            Besides opposition in Washington, Israel has been an adamantly outspoken criticizer of the Iranian/U.N. sanction-appeasement agreement.  During the March 18th meeting, the Israeli government made a statement about Iran's current compliance, arguing that the interim agreement did not make "any change in Iran's nuclear program"(Erlanger).  The report concluded that, "for a civilian nuclear program there is no need for centrifuges and no need for a heavy-water reactor" (Erlanger).  Heavy-water reactors are a necessary component for cooling and moderating the nuclear power generated, while centrifuges turn uranium ore into uranium oxide.  In response to Israel's accusation that Iran is enriching uranium to create nuclear weapons; Iran  confirmed that no new heavy-water reactors have been built since the following year, which obeys the standards made during U.N. negotiations.  Iran has insisted that its nuclear power program is entirely for the purpose of alternative energy rather than nuclear weapons.  Two-thirds of the Iranian population urge for the continuation of the country's nuclear program (Gewirtz). 

            Although Israel takes a strong stance on the matter, not everyone's position is merely black and white. Russia for instance, although in favor of a slow approach to the removal of sanctions, has not expressed the worries presented by other nations.  Unlike the other powerhouse influences of the U.N., Russia did not impose additional sanctions other than what was already implemented by the Security Council (Maloney).  We must remember that the United States has a rocky history with Iran, considering that long ago, the U.S. eradicated Iran's first democratic process.  Russia's conviction, that in the hypothetical circumstance Iran creates nuclear bombs, the Eastern European nation will undoubtedly be upset but eventually accepting (Maloney).  Russia claims that their relationship with Iran is fairly neutral and similar to that of United States' relations with Pakistan. 

              Russia itself also sparks fears, as some American politicians are wary, that due to the recent discrepancies between the United States and Russia in the matter of the Ukraine, Russia will no longer be a supporter of U.N. sanctions of  Iran.  Fortunately, no such hostility surfaced during the meeting between the two Western nations as they consider the Iran-issue to be a separate conflict entirely.  In fact, sanctions are in the best interest of the Russian economy since the U.S. is more reliant on Russian oil rather than Iranian petrol (Maloney).    

Citations

Senators urge Obama to stand firm over Iran nuclear talks. (n.d.). Retrieved   March 26, 2014,   from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/22/senators-barack-obama-letter-            iran-nuclear-talks

Maloney, S. (n.d.). Three Reasons Why Russia Won't Wreck the Iran Nuclear Negotiations.       Retrieved March 26, 2014, from http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/iran-at-         saban/posts/2014/03/22-russia-us-tension-sabotage-iran-nuclear-deal 

Rubin, A. J., & Gladstone, R. (2014, March 18). West Sees Unity on Iran Despite Crisis in        Ukraine. Retrieved March 25, 2014, from           http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/19/world/europe/iran-nuclear-talks.html?_r=0 

Erlanger, S. (2014, February 20). Iran and 6 Powers Agree on Terms for Nuclear Talks.              Retrieved March 25, 2014, from             http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/21/world/middleeast/iran.html 

Madhani, A. (2014, January 20). U.S., EU begin sanctions relief for Iran. Retrieved March 26,  2014, from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/01/20/iran-sanctions-       relief-begins/4666765/ 

Gewirtz, J. (2014, February 21). Iran stocks are booming, and nuclear talks are why. Retrieved  March 26, 2014, from http://www.cnbc.com/id/101435858 

Davenport, A. (2013, August 2). The Empty Threat of Iran Sanctions. Retrieved March 26, 2014,            from http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2013/08/02/the-empty-threat-of-     sanctions-over-irans-nuclear-program 

Lakshmanan, I. A.R., & Loder, A. (2013, November 7). Iran Loses Nuclear Leverage as World I              Ignores Export Drop. Retrieved March 25, 2014, from  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-07/ iran-loses-nuclear-leverage-as-world- ignores-export-drop.html 

Destruction Fueled by Difference

The conflict in the Central African Republic has been perpetually developing since our previous update in February of this year. Following the resignation of Pres. Djotodia on 10 January 2014, the balance of military and political power in the Central African Republic, especially in the capital Bangui, has shifted from the predominately Muslim Seleka to the overwhelmingly Christian and animist anti-balaka militia groups. As of March 2014, in approximate terms, the anti-balaka currently control Bangui while the Seleka have almost entirely retreated to the countryside. While the Seleka and anti-balaka have switched roles in terms of control over the capital and countryside, respectively, they both continue to commit widespread human rights abuses, including murder, torture, pillaging, and rape. Each group continues to target civilians who members believe belong to the opposite faith.In Bangui in particular, Muslim civilians continue to be heavily targeted in what is largely viewed as reprisal attacks for abuses committed by Seleka before their retreat from the capital in February of this year.

Just as in 2013, no group of people or entities has much meaningful economic, political, or social control over politics and internal affairs of the CAR. According to BBC News, the United Nations launched a human rights investigation into the violence in the Central African Republic. The UN Security Council ordered the inquiry in December to identify suspects who could be prosecuted for the violence.The most meaningful source of power at this point comes from 1,600 French and 6,000+ African troops currently stationed in the country as part of an EU-AU joint peacekeeping operation called African-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic (MISCA). However, the impact of the peacekeepers thus far on the ground has been limited in Bangui and practically non-existent outside the capital, where various militias and armed groups continue to attack civilians on a daily basis with total impunity

The short and long-term outlook for the CAR is grim to say the least, according to a March 24^th article by Human Rights Watch: “Thousands of civilians are in dire need of immediate protection and assistance in the Central African Republic. One year after a coup by the Seleka rebel coalition, international efforts to address the crisis remain woefully inadequate. There is particularly an urgent need to end impunity for ongoing abuses and ensure accountability for crimes committed by all parties.” Prior to the coup that ousted Pres. Francois Bozize from power in March 2013, the CAR was already one the poorest and most underdeveloped countries in Africa. Hence, the situation has only gotten progressively worse since then.While a transitional government is currently in place, its’ control over the country is tenuous at best. Interim President Samba-Panza has appealed for the end of the bloodshed with little success. Inquiry head Bernard Acho Muna said he hopes the presence of investigators would influence to stop making what he calls "hate propoganda". “I think it is in our mandate to see how one can stop any advances toward genocide.”

(Full Documentary: The Devil Tried to Divide Us: War in the Central African Republic)

Politics, more specifically Identity Politics, is the foundation for the emergence of genocide in the Central African Republic. Looking at the definition of identity politics we see that the majority Christian population in CAR is determined to place Muslims outside of society. The chair of the UN Genocide investigation, Bernard Acho Muna states “genocide starts always with propaganda, convincing the population that this group of people is evil, they are bad, they should be eliminated." This type of propaganda resonates with the Christian’s goal to “cleanse” the CAR.  Identifying who is Christian and who is Muslim benefits only one group, the Christians. More and more Muslims are being killed, tortured, and forced out of the country, less than 1,000 of the 100,000 Muslim population are still living in the capital. This shines light on another underlying issue, Human Rights. While the United Nations is launching an investigation, there is no doubt that genocide is in place. The basic human right of life is being threatened and the UN has shown no force in protecting this right. Regardless of what you identify yourself as, we are all human and that holds more power than the different Gods we choose to worship.

Alongside attacks rooted in religious values, the children of the Central African Republic are facing disgusting and unprecedented brutality due to the current turmoil in their homeland. The impact of the conflict on children is dramatic, with unending reports of innocent children being brutally attacked, maimed, raped, killed, and beheaded. Furthermore, as many as 6,000 children are a part of the armed groups, likely by force. To grow up in the current conditions of the CAR is nothing any of us could understand, and it doesn't seem that the violence will be slowing down any time soon.

While the conflict in the Central African Republic is largely devastating to the lives of civilians, it is also hard on the country's economy. While rich in natural resources like timber, diamonds, and gold, the Central African Republic is mainly a subsistence farming nation, agriculture making up about 60% of the nations economy. Already unstable from poor economic policies and factional fighting, the recent violence in the CAR has decimated the economy. In the words of the head of FairMed, a Swiss NGO, Henry Babila "The economic system [of the Central African Republic] has completely collapsed.” The CAR now depends almost entirely on international donors, like the Islamic Development Bank whose board recently approved $1 million dollars in aid to refugees who have fled the country. And while the interim President Samba-Panza has sketched out some plan for the CAR’s economic future, without any source of revenue and little foreign economic aid, it is hard to see how the country can make any economic progress.

Overall, the genocide in the Central African Republic is more than just militant action or a war between religious groups, it is a massive, destructive force hurting each part of the country. Pushed forward by the differences between Muslims and Christians, this genocide looks as though it will continue through the end of our spring semester, and into the next year.

N/A. (2014, March 10). Central African Republic: UN launches human rights probe. Retrieved from BBC News: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26515759

N/A. (2014, March 18). The Central African Republic. Retrieved from CIA World Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ct.html

N/A. (2014, March 25). Fresh violence erupts in Central African Republic. Retrieved from euronews: http://www.euronews.com/2014/03/25/fresh-violence-erupts-in-central-african-republic/

N/A. (2014, March 21). Central African Republic: Still a long way to go. Retrieved from The Africa Report: http://www.theafricareport.com/Central-Africa/central-african-republic-still-a-long-way-to-go.html

Nebehay, S., & MacSwan, A. (2014, March 10). U.N. inquiry aims to prevent genocide in Central African Republic. Retrieved from Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/10/us-centralafrican-un-inquiry-idUSBREA290I420140310

Got Pellets?

Got pellets?

     Climate change is an important issue in the world right now. Just about everyone is looking for a solution. Michel Foucault proposed his idea of governmentality as a way to solve political issues. We can apply this theory to environmental issues such as climate change (Edkins & Zehfuss, 2014, p.78). By applying the eco-governmentality perspective to environmental issues, it means that we should try to “look at specific, concrete practices and technologies that already surround us rather than trying to tackle really big questions of principle,” as suggested by Carl Death (Edkins & Zehfuss, 2014, p.79). The idea is to seek out solutions that were already proposed and practiced or “been done” in the world to try to counter climate change. One of the potential answers is to develop new energy sources such as biomass, specifically wood (in the form of pellets) which can reduce our dependency on coal and fossil fuels in order to generate electricity. Unfortunately, the negative impact on the environment of using wood pellets actually outweighs potential benefits. As Hammel (2013) reported in an article in Ecowatch, “the burning of whole trees in power plants actually increases carbon emissions relative to fossil fuels for many decades. It also emits higher levels of multiple air pollutants” (para.2). So in reality, biomass energy sources such as wood pellets are probably not a great alternative energy source to replace coal and oil.
     Despite these facts, due to high demand for biofuels in Europe, EU states are highly interested to import wood pellets from Canada to Europe (Magelli, 2009). Researchers Magelli et al. (2009) have reported that “about 7.2 GJ of energy is consumed for each tonne of wood pellets produced and shipped to Europe, representing about 39% of the total energy content of the wood pellets.” So the cost of production and shipping, including the long-term negative externalities amount for over a third of the long-term energy use. “Among those energies consumed over the life cycle, about 2.6 GJ is associated with long-distance ocean transportation. Ocean transportation is also the major contributor to negative environmental and health impacts, followed by the pellet production processes” (Abstract section). We know now that although wood pellets can be a better alternative energy in moderation compared to coal or other fossil fuels, the production combined with process and transportation of wood pellets actually contributes greater harm to the environment than the domestic fuel sources like oil and coal in the US. It is extremely costly for the EU to buy the US and Canada's wood and transport it, because of the oceanic transport necessary and cutting down these trees, particularly in old growth forests. Therefore, the production of wood pellets has serious detrimental impacts on the overlying ecosystem. Cutting these trees down leads to erosion and landslides, loss of nutrients in the soil and loss of the natural carbon “scrubber” – trees.
     There are other immediate issues to contend with when we talk about wood pellets. Two of the big ones, particularly here in the United States are economic growth, which goes hand-in-hand with jobs and corporate profit. This year Enviva LP, currently one of the largest producers of wood pellets, is on track to expand its operations. This means more jobs, in modern and profitable sectors at a time when the US economy is still struggling to recover from the recession. Currently, according to the company’s own estimates, their mills in Ashokie, North Carolina and Northhampton County, North Carolina (near Gaston) currently employ roughly 200 employees at an average salary of $35,000 annually. Both mills operate year round and around the clock to create over 850,000 metric tons of pellets per year. Most of these pellets are then loaded on trucks and shipped across the pond to Europe via Enviva’s own deep water port terminal on the Chesapeake Bay (Enviva).


     And that is just two mills – from one company – in one part of the US (the southeast). There are several other companies who are part of the wood pellet industry, not just in the US, but in Canada and even in Europe (though few and much smaller in scale). In the United States, corporations such as Riverside Holdings LLC are lining up to provide funding, while others, like Intrinergy, are bragging about partnerships with those in the emerging pellet market. All under the pretext of creating jobs and hefty corporate profits while simultaneously “saving the environment.” Enviva states on its website that its wood pellets are “manufactured from a mix of untreated raw wood, waste wood and residuals” (Enviva). This means they do use whole trees, but they claim those are only young trees from “thinning” of forests or diseased or weak growth trees. There are no current regulations in effect in the United States and no monitoring agency to prevent any pellet mill from using whole or old growth trees. Many companies rely on their supply chain to provide them with “sustainable” raw materials. Can any corporation be trusted to monitor themselves and their own supply chain?
     This issue of whether wood pellets are really a “green” energy is important to question. Recently the world’s communities have been working together to develop new renewable energy alternatives that actually can replace coal and fossil fuels. Presently the idea of biomass sounds like a great alternative, but is it really a smart choice? Yes, when burned, wood pellets produce less carbon into the atmosphere than coal. But, that doesn’t take into account how much carbon dioxide (and other hazardous emissions) are released during the process of making the pellets and then trucking and shipping them abroad. It also does not account for the effects of deforestation. Living trees actually filter carbon dioxide from the air during photosynthesis. So removing trees from the environment means there are less “carbon filters” and therefore more carbon in the atmosphere. Humans have already destroyed nearly 80 percent of the world's forest cover, which is vital to the health of ecosystems. Now we want to burn the rest? It will be a waste of technology, capital and resources for the EU to realize down the road that wood pellets aren't easily renewable and they have no better option than coal or oil again. Ultimately, taking into consideration the entire process of wood pellets, it is better if the use of wood pellets stays domestic and is regulated to prevent deforestation – not to be used as a quick substitution for coal in the EU so they can reduce their own domestic carbon footprint.


Sources:

Edkins, J., & Zehfuss, M. (2014). Global politics: A new introduction. (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.

Enviva LP. www.envivabiomass.com

Hammel, D. (2013, Sept 4). U.S. becomes largest wood pellet exporter, clear-cutting forests and destroying wetlands. Retrieved from http://ecowatch.com/2013/09/04/wood-pellet-exporter-clearcutting-forests-destroying-wetlands/

Leslie, A. (2014, January 1). How the EU’s green energy is hitting US forests. Deutsche Welle. Retrieved from http://www.dw.de/how-the-eus-green-energy-drive-is-hitting-us-forests/a-17393422

Magelli, F., Boucher, K., Bi, H. T., Melin, S., & Bonoli, A. (2009). An environmental impact assessment of exported wood pellets from Canada to Europe. Biomass and Bioenergy, 33(3), 434-441. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2008.08.016

Shankleman, J. (2014, March 12). Chris Huhne biomass firm licenses out wood pellet tech. Business Green. Retrieved from http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2333615/chris-huhne-biomass-firm-licences-out-wood-pellet-tech

China-Japan Relations

The dispute in the East China Sea between China and Japan over the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands has attracted global attention and has been considered a dangerous turn of events. The dispute between China and Japan started with this group of islands and has grown because of the nationalistic views of both countries and past conflicts that have increased tensions. Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, visited the Yasakuni shrine, which caused political offence to China and has alienated both countries even more. Nationalist displays by the Japanese government often bring memories of Japanese atrocities during World War Two to the forefront of disputes between Japan and other East Asian nations (Zurcher, 2014).

Furthermore, Japan has been amassing nuclear stockpiles by amassing enriched uranium and weapons-grade plutonium. This is a strategic move by Japan to get the attention of other countries and show them that this is a serious matter while keeping China at a safe distance with the mild threat of nuclear war. This is a very delicate matter because other countries could consider intervening. With such vast amounts of resources for nuclear weapons building, Japan is a threat to all.

Tensions have also appeared on the economic front, with some Chinese calling for a full boycott of Japanese products and targeting Japanese businesses and restaurants; Japan has started to shift its financial focus towards Southeast Asia (Tiezzi, 2014). Both countries are pointing their guns toward each other and waiting for the other to blink. With the Japan’s increase of the number of naval ships and war planes to guard the 5 uninhabited islands, while trying to involve the US, and China’s increase of military and defense spending to extreme levels, whether or not the two blink, they are nevertheless on the brink of starting World War III, if no negotiation or intervention is made.

In addition to Vietnam and the Philippines alliance in confronting China and protecting the Spratly Islands, Japan has also decided to join forces in battle against China by shifting more investment to Vietnam. Due to the political instability with China, Japan has transferred its capital flows which dropped from $13.48 billion to $2.5 billion into Vietnam, in which the nation’s foreign investment increased from $169 million to $4.45 billion from 2010 to 2013. “Vietnam’s chief attractions include a peaceful environment and low cost labor force”, said Atsusuke Kawada, chief executive of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) (Song, 2014).

In order to prevent further escalation, the Asia Society recommends that the U.S. becomes more involved, or that the matter be taken to the U.N. If one country decides to use legal action instead of military action, the U.N. most likely has a previous example of a sea dispute. Currently, President Barrack Obama has already declared Japan’s sovereignty over the islands, therefore U.S. Military experts have already been coming up with suggestions for Japan’s public relations image, to defend China’s accusation of being “the aggressor driven by militarism.” (Hayashi, 2014). These suggestions include annual military dialogues between China and Japan and the set up of a military-to-military crisis hotline (both countries have agreed to this but no further action has been taken), and making use of the dispute resolution systems within the United Nations, such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the Law of Sea tribunals (ITLOS) (Smith, 2014).

The Chinese and the Japanese have a very complex and strong nationalist ideology. Unfortunately, since the Sino-Japanese War and later the occupation of China by Japan, these nationalistic views have made these two nations carry resentment for each other. The primordialist nationalism of the Chinese has been since the start of its political movements. Sun Yatsen "famously referred to the Chinese Nation as the Yellow Race” (Barabantseva). This union of the Chinese because of their culture and ethnicity have worsened the tensions with Japan. Japanese prime ministers keep going to the shrines where the remains of convicted war criminals reside and this causes outrage for the Chinese who think of this as offensive and disrespectful for those massacred in the war. The Japanese Prime Minister is also  asserting himself in Asia and doesn’t try to work amiably with China. The modernist nationalism of the Japanese clashes with the old primordialist nationalism of China which causes minor conflicts that may be much more dire than they seem.  

One part of history where both countries could look towards to solve this conflict is the Cold War. The United States and Russia have extensive knowledge about these types of situations. Some solutions include: “Incidents at Sea Agreement concluded bilaterally between Japan and China, but perhaps adapted to include others such as South Korea. Annual military dialogues where Tokyo and Beijing could discuss their military Rules of Engagement (ROEs) as well as review interactions between their militaries would be welcome. Japan has this arrangement with its Russian neighbors. Crisis communications mechanisms are also important”.[1]

Sources:

Works Cited

Smith, Sheila. (2014, February 21). “How China and Japan Might Avoid Military Confrontation in the East China Sea.” Asia Society. Retrieved fromhttp://asiasociety.org/blog/asia/how-china-and- japan-might-avoid-military-confrontation-east-china-sea.

Tiezzi, Shannon. (2014, January 25). “The New Cold War: China vs. Japan.” The Diplomat. Retrieved from http://thediplomat.com/2014/01/the-new-cold-war-china-vs-japan/.

Zurcher, Anthony (2014, January 2). “China v Japan: Who is at fault? ”. BBC. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-25580979.

Song, Sophie (2014, March 22). “Japanese Companies Shift Investment To Vietnam As Thailand And China Become Less Attractive”. International Business Times. Retrieved from

http://www.ibtimes.com/japanese-companies-shift-investment-vietnam-thailand-china-become-less-attractive-1560462

Hayashi, Yuka (2014, March 22). “China’s PR on Islands Beats Japan’s, Say U.S. Military Experts”. Wall Street Journal Blog. Retrieved from http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2014/03/26/chinas-pr-on-islands-beats-japans-say-u-s-military-experts/

Barabantseva Elena, (2014). "How Do People Identify With Nations?”. Global Politics: A New Introduction. Print.

Images sources:

http://wpmedia.news.nationalpost.com/2012/09/china-japan-protests-01.jpg?w=940

http://www.dw.de/image/0,,16255233_303,00.jpg

The Capture of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman

The Capture of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman

The worlds most wanted drug lord, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was arrested in a condominium in Mazatlan, on Saturday, February 22 by Mexican Marines in a joint U.S.-Mexico operation (Schoichet, Perez, Todd, 2014). Known for both his ruthlessness and power as the leader of the Sinaloa cartel “El Chapo” (Shorty in English) has been a high profile target for many years .  

"El Chapo" came from humble beginnings in the mountain village of La Tuna de Badiraguato, Sinaloa. His father was a grower and smuggler of opium and marijuana. With no education or real outside opportunity, “El Chapo” followed in his father’s footsteps and began growing marijuana (Caldwell, Spagat, Billeaud, Weissenstein, 2014). In the late 1970’s, when Guzman was still in his 20’s, a drug lord named Hector Luis Palma Salazar hired him to be in charge of running drugs from Sinaloa to coastal cities on their way to the U.S. He rose quickly through the ranks and then began working for Miguel Àngel Felix Gallardo as a lieutenant; a position he held for many years. As his power grew, he and his affiliates became to be known as the Sinaloa Cartel. They used tunnels, lear jets, and leased warehouses in many U.S. cities, concealed cocaine in soap boxes and even used rolls of chicken wire mixed with hidden fiberglass components to store and smuggle cocaine. A truck driver was arrested at one point in Mexico hauling 1,400 cases of jalapeño peppers that were headed for Los Angeles. Each can of jalapeños contained a kilo of cocaine which amounted to a total amount of 7.3 tons. In 1993, a gunman from a rival gang who was said to be hunting “El Chapo”, opened fire into a car carrying a Catholic cardinal, who was shot 14 times. Because of this incident, the Mexican government put out a $5 million reward for any information regarding “El Chapo”.

He was arrested less than a month after the Cardinal's Killing, and was sentenced to prison in Guadalajara. On January 19, 2001, "El Chapo" escaped prison by crawling into a laundry cart and having a guard wheel him out. After his escape he became even more powerful. At one point he controlled more than half of the entire U.S.-Mexico border (Caldwell, et al., 2014). Although he had the capacity to be a ruthless thug, he also had the ability for great strategic planning. United States special forces alongside Mexican officials worked together on planning a strategic mission to capture “El Chapo” in his condominium in Mazatlan, MX. Despite having the head of the beast cut off, the question remained on how Mexico accomplished such a feat. To the Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, the feat was thanks to the Mexican Marines and officials, but for the United States the accomplishment was thanks to the cooperation between both countries. President Peña Nieto congratulated the Mexican officials stated that Mexico will not rely on Americans’ aid in further attempts which implied the resentment of relying on Mexico’s neighbors to the north for this operation.

Relying on some US DEA officials, the Mexican Marines were tipped with “El Chapo’s” whereabouts and were quick to proceed. Utilizing infrared devices, the Mexican Marines entered the condominium undetected but were unsure of the presence of “El Chapo.” Progressing through to the main bedroom, the marines discovered “El Chapo” asleep next to an unidentified woman said to possibly be his wife. Asthe notorious “El Chapo” was drawn out, no shots were fired despite “El Chapo’s” arsenal of weapons at his disposal. The search had developed thanks to the capture of his lieutenant earlier in the year and other members of the cartel. These captures tipped off “El Chapo” while he resided in a hideout in Culiacán and he was able to get away without capture by escaping through the tunnel underneath his bathroom shower. Despite his escape, the Mexican officials later discovered the tunnels that connected his Culiacán hideout. Recognizing “El Chapo’s” escape patterns allowed for an advantage over the operation to later infiltrate the condominium in Mazatlan. At the operation, the Mexican government had utilized intel that the US DEA in Arizona gathered when arresting the son of “El Chapo’s” lieutenant, the said to be heir of “El Chapo’s” position,  

“El Chapo’s” arrest has been viewed as a huge success in the “War on Drugs.” But with all of the media buzz along with news articles, and families calling one another to share the “chisme” (gossip), we’re forgetting to realize that the violence in Mexico has not decreased nor has the amount of illegal drugs coming into the US. It seems that El Chapo’s arrest is nothing more than a miniscule accomplishment in the broader picture. The Sinaloa Cartel continues to have more than $3 billion each year in revenue and they will continue to be responsible for 25% of the illegal drugs brought to the US over the Mexican-American border (Estevez, 2014). In analysing this situation it is important to recognize that a new kingpin, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, will take over and will still work with “El Chapo”, even while in jail.

Although the arrest of “El Chapo” is a step closer to eliminating the US/ Mexico Drug epidemic, with the help of the new kingpin, “El Mayo”, the success of the Sinaloa Cartel will continue to still be carried out. The United States and Mexico will have to continue to tightly work together in order to ensure any further success of the Sinaloa Cartel and the“War on Drugs.” President Peñanieto will have to acknowledge that this conflict is not one-sided, and that collaboration with the  United States is a vital aspect in this process as shown by the capture of “El Chapo.” The technology and intelligence utilized in the planning of locating the drug lord has proven that the United States can be a valuable asset in combination with partnership with the Mexican government. This capture may not have been possible without these vital elements.  

At first glance, “El Chapo’s” sentence seems obvious-- a life in jail or maybe even execution. But when we dig a little bit deeper into the issue, we can foresee that if he stays in the Mexican judicial system, there is a possibility of him escaping, again. But, if he is extradited to the United States, he will face a variety of charges (Kawas, 2014).Hopefully, El Chapo’s arrest will open doors for a change in strategy and be a turning point for the way that the War on Drugs is approached by both the United States and Mexican governments.

Citations for this article:

Archibold, R., Thompson, G. (2014) El Chapo, Most-Wanted Drug Lord, Is Captured In Mexico. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/world/americas/joaquin-guzman-loera-sinaloa-drug-cartel-leader-is-captured-in-mexico.html

Caldwell, A., Spagat, E., Billeaud, J., & Weissenstein, M. (2014). ‘Chapo’ guzman’s rise: from                      poor, abused to cartel kingpin. El Paso Times. Retrieved from http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_25255091/chapo-guzmans-rise-from-poor-abused-cartel-kingpin?source=most_viewed

Estevez, D. (2014). One Month After Drug Lord El Chapo Guzman’s Arrest, Narcotics Business Continues With No Change. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/doliaestevez/2014/03/20/one-month-after-drug-lord-el-chapo-guzmans-arrest-narcotics-business-continues-with-no-change/

Kawas, G. (2014). The Future of “El Chapo” Guzman and Latin America’s War on Drugs. Panampost. Retrieved from http://panampost.com/gina-kawas/2014/03/05/future-el-chapo-guzman-latin-americas-war-on-drugs/

Schoichet, C., Perez, E., & Todd, B. (2014). ‘El chapo’ guzman: how the worlds most wanted drug lord was finally busted. CNN. Retrieved from  http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/23/world/americas/el-chapo-capture/