U.S. Shifts Its Stance in Latin America - U.S. officials quietly say they are softening their hard-line stance on fighting illicit drugs in Latin America

From The Wall Street Journal:

Washington's drug war in Latin America dates back at least four decades. But as Latin Americans take a more nuanced approach to the effort to fight illicit drugs, the U.S. government, too, is showing signs of a shift.

In Mexico, Washington's drug fighting effort has been pinned on the $2 billion Merida Initiative, the first phase of which focused on arming a Mexican military crackdown. But as casualties mounted, the government of President Enrique Peña Nieto said it would focus on reducing violence rather than battling drug czars, and the U.S. began winding down its military aid in 2010.

There has been no official change in policy. But U.S. officials quietly say they are softening their hard-line stance.

"We don't want to say anything about red lines in the sand anymore," said a U.S. government official. "At this point, we are having the legalization debate ourselves."

That approach doesn't please everyone.

Barry McCaffrey, a retired U.S. Army general who was one of the key architects of the Plan Colombia drug package during the Clinton administration, argued that drug-eradication efforts in South America have shown success. He called those calling for legalization "cowardly people," who "keep trying to hang the 'war on drugs' on the U.S." for political gain.

On the other side, U.S. drug-rights advocates have lobbied for legalization in Uruguay, hoping to set a precedent in the region.

The Drug Policy Alliance, a New York decriminalization pressure group, organized public outreach in Uruguay when local opinion turned against the proposed law. It also hosted a visit by Uruguayan politicians' marijuana farms in the state.

"This doesn't have to be a controversial issue anymore," said Ethan Nadelmann, the group's director.