Paul Gray
It might cheer Saddam Hussein to learn that he has a hard core of Western supporters — specifically, South American drug smugglers. The narcotraficantes didn’t need long to figure out that the U.S. military buildup in the Persian Gulf may mean the redeployment of AWACS and other surveillance equipment away from the war on drugs. “The people we look at are in a chess game,” says a U.S. customs official. “They do a constant threat update, just as we do.” And the threat to traffickers figures to diminish, particularly if a hard-pressed Pentagon delays or cancels plans to improve U.S. antidrug surveillance in the Caribbean.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Cybersecurity Experts Are Sounding the Alarm on DOGE
- Meet the 2025 Women of the Year
- The Harsh Truth About Disability Inclusion
- Why Do More Young Adults Have Cancer?
- Colman Domingo Leads With Radical Love
- How to Get Better at Doing Things Alone
- Michelle Zauner Stares Down the Darkness
Contact us at letters@time.com