Plan Mexico and SPP on Democracy Now!

Today's Democracy Now broadcast features a report on Plan Mexico, a $400 million "war" on Mexican drug traffic. The program has been widely criticized for relying almost entirely on military and security fixes, rather than addressing underlying economic and social problems that exacerbate the drug trade. Most funding will go to military contractors and the Mexican army, and the final version of the bill, which has been approved by the Bush administration and Congress, removed ties between funding to protection of human rights.

Laura Carlsen, director of the Americas Policy Program of the Center for International Policy, and author of "A Primer on Plan Mexico," tied Plan Mexico to the Security and Prosperity Partnership as a way of "arming NAFTA"--not her quote, but a quote from an administration trade official. Laura is joined by Avi Lewis of Al Jazeera English, and journalist John Gibler.

View or listen to the show in various formats here.