Since 2006, the Mexican government has been in embroiled in a bloody drug war, which has failed to significantly curb trafficking. This Backgrounder looks at Mexico's eradication efforts, along with U.S. policy options for one of its most important regional allies.

The global drug industry has fought to prevent developing nations from making low-cost, generic versions of drugs under patent, but the demand for such alternatives is could rise with increasing healthcare costs and growing incidence of chronic disease.

A rise in drug use in Iran is one overlooked consequence of the surge in opium production in the Taliban-run provinces of southern Afghanistan.

Has the once ballyhooed U.S. "war on drugs" been put on the policy backburner? Many experts think it has, and also that this might be a good thing.

The author assesses the causes and consequences of the violence faced by several Central American countries and examines the national, regional, and international efforts intended to curb its worst effects.

David A. Shirk analyzes the drug war in Mexico and argues that the United States should help Mexico address its pressing crime and corruption problems.

The March 2-3 visit of Mexico's president to Washington offers a chance at easing tensions over the cross-border drug trade, and far more than security issues are at stake, says CFR's Shannon O'Neil.

Brazen assassinations, kidnappings, and political intimidation by drug lords conjure up images of Colombia in the early 1990s. Yet today it is Mexico that is being engulfed by escalating violence, and U.S. gun laws, immigration rules, drug control and border policies all have exacerbated the problems.

Four experts examine the biggest challenge to ensuring the safety of pharmaceuticals traded globally.

A new shift in U.S.-Mexico security cooperation that focuses on border surveillance and the underpinnings of drug violence is a good long-term approach, but will require patience on both sides, says CFR Latin America expert Shannon O'Neil.

In Ciudad Juarez, where three people with connections to the U.S. consulate were killed over the weekend, it's local gangs rather than drug cartels that are spreading violence, says CFR's Shannon O'Neil. To fight them, part of what's needed is better law and police enforcement and better education.

Mexican President Felipe Calderón's state visit to Washington could highlight immigration concerns at a time of growing cross-border partnership on Mexico's drug war, says CFR's Shannon O'Neil.

John M. Walsh of the Washington Office on Latin America says the failure of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s major reform proposals at the polls was a surprise, and represents a “heavy defeat.”

The New Yorker details the fight for Guadalajara, Mexico.

This New York Times Magazine piece investigates how the world's most powerful drug traffickers run their billion-dollar business.

Jorge G. Castañeda, former foreign minister of Mexico and a professor of politics and Latin American studies, says Cuba and drugs will be the main topics of discussion at the upcoming Summit of the Americas.

Alma Guillermoprieto discusses four books on Mexico's drug war that detail the context, history, and personal experiences of a conflict that has now claimed 28,000 lives.

The Afghan president is isolated and distrusted, and even if he is re-elected this month, that's not likely to change.

The Guatemalan president's alleged role in a recent murder there shows how Mexico's drug violence is infecting other parts of Latin America--and threatening to destabilize the entire region.

Matthew Levitt examines Hezbollah's increased role in illicit drug trafficking in Latin America in this article by Middle East Strategy at Harvard, a project of the John M. Olin Institute for Strategic Studies.