has it not for more than four decades all it's given us is more war and more drugs and help the u.s. produce i think the world's biggest prison population well first of all i'd never call that a war number one number two is that if you lost a loved one to this epidemic then you would be very happy that the d.n.a. and other law enforcement agencies are out there trying to enforce the law on fortunately this particular problem requires much more than law enforcement and quite frankly it's been neglected for many years and hopefully we can get it back on track just in terms of the law enforcement the militarization us but when you look back on the last full five decades of u.s. policy from president president democrat to republican jeff any regrets about the militarization of this problem no i tell you i worked in the special operations division for ten years with thirty agencies three countries n.y.p.d. and d o d commands and it not only is this a public health issue it's a national socratic security crisis not just for america for the world and you know why maybe because it's the terrorists are turning to criminal activities for their

funding and drug trafficking is generating four hundred billion dollars a year around the world so it's becoming an easy funding mechanism for the terrorists so i also witnessed the politics in washington when they were hesitant about the clearing the fog and they you see is terrorist organizations and i've been a big proponent yeah the colombian groups i've been a big proponent suggesting that the mexican cartel should be declared terrorists and i can explain what will come home and let me bring inside the tree it's a national security crisis so of course it has to be treated as a war and especially if you've lost people to it you want the government to fight a war against people who've killed their kids this is primarily a public health issue first and the problem created by drug trafficking is rooted in economics so the idea of pitching a war on terror to the war on drugs i think conflates two very complex issues and gives you a one size fits all solution a bigger stick more kinetic policies to really you know kick kick butt just to be part of you is your job. favor of the biggest no i'm not because drug trafficking

is based on economics and we're talking about things like marijuana cocaine heroin methamphetamines these are essentially minimally processed agricultural chemical commodities that cost pennies per dose to produce where these things get such tremendous value for which people are willing to kill and massacre and and fund you know revolutions or whatever is through the policies of prohibition that amplified the value of these these things astronomically so the more we escalate the war on drugs the more valuable the drugs become because we increase the risk premium that drug traffickers are allowed to charge the next person down the smuggling chain that's how you turn a fifteen hundred dollar kilo of pure cocaine from the streets of any in colombia and by the time you get to the streets of washington d.c. or philadelphia or new york by the time they get to the grand baggies those dealers can get about one hundred fifty thousand dollars for that same kilo this commodity snowballs in value because of our war on drugs absent that these are basically pennies produced to produce what can be a public health crisis and

a national security crisis one because at the end of the day even if people agree with your home and say fine that's true what he's saying about the drugs themselves these are all these cartels we know transnational organizations very violent deployed tara why don't treat them as terrorist groups and you would treat al there are any one else terrorist groups that get some funding from drug trafficking and there are criminal groups that also engage in acts of terror but narco terrorism is something that was constructed and popularized after nine eleven where they know the bush administration declared colombia to be the southern front in the global war on terror even though the fark and colombia had nothing to do with al qaeda ok . well first of all i agree with san jose cesspit on it's all about the money right so for the drug cartels in colombia the entrepreneur it's about making as much money as they can and same thing for the mexican cartels but here's the issue first of all the war on drugs i don't even like to use that term because it's not really a war but i will say that going back to the pablo escobar days when he blew. up

a airliner with legitimate innocent people aboard that's when we started seeing narco terrorism long before nine eleven when people are listening to surround the world in particular does it really make sense to replace the war on drugs with another failing war the war on terror which hasn't be very successful at beating terrorist groups al-qaeda etc still out there it seems kind of weird that you would say ok we tried this way you don't want to call it a war but lots of militarization definitely in central america and now we're going to try bora what we did in afghanistan iraq which didn't turn out so well either it seems like you're doubling down on failure well here's the deal i just want to try to save lives that's what mine that's why i'm doing everyone does right now not everyone there are who doesn't want us there are plenty of people that are disregarding the facts like for example the homeland security director of america is walking into congress to educate them on what's going on on the border and they rudely interrupt there and get up and walk away they don't want to hear it you have to listen to the experts tom hallman he's an expert i worked in a border brand enjoyed all of these guys mark morgan he's not even political that

is the problem there i mean you talk of politics i mean the problem you don't want to talk politics you just did but this is on the on the on the issue of the wall yeah border wall donald trump president of states says that he wants to build a wall to stop quote and the invasion of drugs ok you talk about you support that wall i believe well can i can i tell you what i mean by that ok before you do i'll just ask this question since you mentioned listen to the experts most experts have come out and said a wall will not solve the problem of illegal drugs coming in i don't know what expert you're referring to but here's what i will tell leagues in the ok now that's not true that twisting the words from the assessment that was made so let me explain it the d.n.a. misses you already if you go from the major cartels come in through the port aventura that's what they've said that's not what the president has them but ok i'm not speaking for the president i'm speaking is there a building that will be well that's his decision he's the president but here's what i would say the drugs that are coming in from the port of entry we're not even hit never properly because we don't have the receipt. is there the wall is going to

help manage the flow of people and contraband to america the wall is not going to solve the drug crisis in america the wall will actually help the border patrol and the experts to get a better handle on it ok some of the way to the dirt says the wall in all the problems but help them get a handle on this problem at the border what do you say the walls are bronze age technologies that have been countermeasures of the wall going back many many decades and so the first thing they did was build ramps they could literally drive an s.u.v. over the wall they got catapult roman technology that can launch bales of drugs over the wall they've got pneumatic air cannons you've seen future cannons in sports stadiums they have giant ones mounted on trucks and inside vans that can launch one hundred pound bale of drugs over that wall there's narco submarines they can go around the fences there are narco torpedoes right now in the world there are a thousand ways and narco tunnels and plus the vast majority of drugs that come into this country you mean the legal round is that it will the majority according to the evidence the majority of illegal drugs coming through legal ports of entry

actually it will be years like it but i don't know all the colleagues of the dia is that i'm not listening to the colleagues who you told us to listen to the excellence of they're going to go ok actually to revalue that is true but here's the bottom line this statistics and the information that's being portrayed in the public is not really accurate twisting it the d.n.a. assessment i agree with one hundred percent and in that assessment they're saying the majority of the drugs are coming through to people we look at the issue of see again and i agree with that what about the issue a lot of mexicans would say look of countries demonized as being the kind of source of all this stuff and you know we talk about supply but it's american democracy so you're building a wall to deal with supply what about the demand that's a great point and i would say to anybody listening to me when are they going to get their heads out of the sand and start dealing with the demand dealing with the education dealing with the treatment i would be the first to tell you and i think anyone in the a would say forstmann alone will not solve the problem of how do we do we did moms what would you do if you could. wave a magic wand and say u.s.

government this is how you tackle the demand i think if you say so many of our problems are issued rooted in issues of poverty despair an alienation if you address those things if you have a war on those or those problems you solve a lot of problems downstream i think opioids are very popular right now and i think one of the reasons is that they allow this kind of a dream state you can imagine better days you could walk into your past and relive those great moments fits in with modern politics so here's a question people are yearning for those you or someone from is it is it fair to say that you are someone who supports the legalization of marijuana yes there are other harder drugs i think that should be decriminalized and regulated to the extent possible so it's not just me it's all thirty one agencies the united nations came out in favor of decriminalization of possession so my question is given we know that the crisis is killing one hundred americans a day according to some statistics those illegal drugs prescription drugs in many cases how does it help to bring more drugs onto the market more legal drugs which really are the illicitly produced sentinels and it's analogs being injected into

the into that supply of heroin and other opioids that's what's killing people and i think canada is doing something completely different in the u.s. so in vancouver they have a program where they have heroin maintenance the fifty patients are allowed to import heroin legally from switzerland where they used heroin and maintenance for hardcore difficult to treat addicts and they're allowing that in in vancouver so that you take people out of the street scene where they're playing russian roulette with fentanyl and it's a very dangerous scene in canada plus they're allowing the local doctors to prescribe. loud it clear to people who are addicted so to be clear despite the fact we have alcohol that's legal ravages society in many ways we know about the family breakdown violence public health problems associated with legal alcohol you have the opioids issue you don't think that legalizing more drugs will increase to some total of society i don't think it helps at all it doesn't help the people who are suffering. sort of so many things and it benefits drug traffickers so what the drug

war does what prohibition does is provide an indirect price subsidy of price support for drug traffickers without it they've got they've gotten only processed goods that ok sell that aren't worth anything about the u.s. corporations big pharma that will touch on the stuff that we've heard about the really that made a fortune for she called in to the prescription pain killers going to the dia is focused on mexican cartels who's focused only you know as a domestic so it's very pushing i live this nightmare it's a very political issue because people in washington at a supposed to be prosecuting these particular drug entrepreneur or legal companies they didn't want to do it they didn't want to taint their names because they want jobs when they leave the department of justice and that's what happens so i agree with you one hundred percent we need to aggressively prosecute legitimate drug distribution companies when they're killing kids and they're not paying attention to the details now i could tell you because i lived it for ten years when this exploding that drug companies were more interested in my view and making money then

caring about the health and the wellbeing of citizens in america and other parts of the world so i have a really strong opinion about that as well ok i mean when you look at what american companies have done in terms of the crisis do you think even people like yourself quote unquote on the liberal left end of the spectrum talking about decriminalization and legalization took your eye off the ball as well during this period i think the f.d.a. did so in the late ninety's is when they begin this push to to really promote oxycontin in these opioid saying these new formulations addictive don't worry about it when in fact they knew that this was a problem and after people became addicted through prescription drugs the kind of shifts around two thousand and twelve they are no longer getting addicted through the doctors prescriptions but rather there's they're stealing and they're getting it from illicit sources but around that time the dea begin to crack down on pill mills and go after people who are prescribing doctors who are overprescribing well when you already have a population that's dependent or addicted on these things you suddenly cut off their. supply what are they going to do was utterly predictable they went to the

street and bought heroin which was much cheaper cheaper than a six pack of beer sometimes and then as the years go on after twenty twelve a few years later you start seeing fentanyl entering the heroin market and so we've literally taken these people who are dependent and some of them through through doctors' prescriptions and push them into the black market onto the streets where they're playing russian roulette with extremely dangerous fentanyl that helps nobody else has to do during given this problem home which you've identified yourself you said you lived it isn't it weird then to see a president the united states right now obsessing over foreigners walls mexicans gangs call tells when you have all these u.s. made homemade problems that are not being dealt with. but i'm a firm believer that if you throw stones you have to live you should live in a glass house right we have to take care of our own first and that's america and the addicted people but the big thing is is that the cartels we talked about this narco terrorism take the you know the level of violence down there the. acid pits

chopping off their legs in our arms this is violence that we've never seen in this world except what isis and al qaeda and the other terror groups so something has to be done with that we give the mexicans a lot of money so the question is why we give in mexico so much money we're not dealing with this problem and so i got it i got a major issue with the last word but the wall is the idea of building a wall of troops that it would be a solid concrete wall but then later on he said ok the border patrol is right we need slots in the wall so they can see what's in the other side well when you have these thirty foot wall slats with four inch gaps what's the first countermeasure you going to do if you're a drug trafficker three and a half inch wide packaging when a dose of fentanyl is a couple of grains of sand imagine how much of that you can push literally hand through that wall not know it. will have to leave it at thank you both for joining me in the arena thank you that's our show from will be back next week.

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love affair with fact that makes the report and therefore need to shoot and it's fun but the new generation conspire with the reason you're fighting for because you don't want to see it and you do speak it fluently. never again part of the radicalized youth series on a. protest isn't saddam so they feel security forces might try to break up this outside the army's headquarters and. hello and welcome to al-jazeera life in my headquarters in doha with me it is a broader also ahead thousands displaced by fighting between libyan government

troops and forces loyal to warlord. and civilian areas. communities in venezuela try to cope with the political and economic crisis deepened by u.s. sanctions and. bring in the winners from this year's hong kong film awards. protesters and saddam fear they will be an. to break up this is him outside the army's headquarters in the capital khartoum meanwhile more people have joined the protests calling for an immediate transition to a civilian government has been a major shake up of the military and political establishment since their removal of omar al the shade on the. we do not call for the removal of demonstrators by force in fact the reason we intervened in the first place was because force was used by the ousted regime but our call to everyone who is

organizing the protests to bring life back to normalcy still stands having said that if we find people with weapons of course we have to bear the responsibility as guarantors of the state we can't allow that to take place in order to protect the protesters outside the army headquarters or anywhere in the land of sudan as long as the protesters are allowed to demonstrate we bear the responsibility of protecting their life and won't allow any third party to do so. we're joined now by correspondent have a more than she is live for us in khartoum and have a before we talk about the political movements and developments what are you hearing about protesters and their concerns that this session might be broken up. yes as a base has been speaking to some of the protesters and some of the activists in front of the army headquarters and they're saying that the minutes are is trying to break the barricade and try to move the barricades that they themselves have ten

days ago now let's remember that sits in front of the army headquarters thought that after four months of protests when people decided to revive the one hundred eighty five april revolution which toppled president mary they were trying to oust president bashir which eventually is what happened but they had to place roadblocks and barricades to make sure that security forces did not try to breach them and disperse them by force now they are saying that the army the military is trying to move those barricades we've heard from the military council yesterday saying that those barricades on the streets represent a negative side and negative impact and that they're not trying to disperse the protesters the people are saying that it makes it easier for the ministry of the security to infiltrate them and try to separate them so we've heard from activists this morning but they're saying that they will continue to be there they will continue to confront the military and that they will even if they have to stand up shield to protect their barricades they will do that to make sure that they're there sitting continues in front of the army headquarters here they're asking even

more people to join in how they responding to that statement from the ministry council. well elizabeth they're saying that it falls short from what they wanted to hear what they wanted to hear was that the military council would hand over power to to a civilian government immediately that's not what they heard we've been heard from the military council was that there was a two year transition period reforms to national intelligence and security services and that it is up to the political parties to come up with a prime minister and members of cabinet for the transitional government but they're concerned that the military will take over their revolution they are saying that the military wants to supervise this this transitional government and so it will not be independent and it will still be run by the military which is something they don't want political parties as well say that this is not something they want they want an independent civilian government for a period of four years but there's also the issue of the national security service itself protesters on the streets are saying that they want bad body completely

abolished and they want those who used to work and it was responsible were responsible for targeting dissidents censoring newspapers and the media in sudan as well as clamping down on protests for the possible months they want these people to be held accountable they want to see them being taken to court of course that's something they haven't seen yet they're saying that the head of the national before my head of national security and intelligence services has been offered to resign has been allowed to resign and that's not what they want they want a complete and a complete accountability of what happened so they're saying that that statement from the military council falls very short from their demands and which is why they continue to protest in front of the army headquarters all right have a thank you very much for their finale that's have a more than live and cuts and we are going to get more on this we're joined by salon and saying analyst on sudanese political affairs very good to have you with us on al-jazeera. so much at stake in sudan at the moment talent does the military on one side of the political parties and civil society on the other

overcome the big differences now on the key issues. i think it's only through dialogue. we have to consider what is artistic the problem is to secure a smooth and peaceful transition to a stable democracy and it is very tricky because not only because of the interior know the sudan is dynamic we know that the country is going through a lot of economic crisis and there are conflicts in some parts of the region but also we have to remember the country is part of a region that's going through a toll mill and we know the competing camps in the region we know also that neighboring countries. also are not that is we do what is going on in libya might affect the situation in the country we know that south sudan is also not very stable so there is a lot at stake at the moment and that is why i think both sides the military and

civilian side they have the responsibility of moving this country for war despite all the difference if they have but they have to find a way because the alternatives are very very dangerous they have to find a way and they have to find a person who will do it the military have said that they will allow a civilian to lead the transitional government is there anyone who is a consensus figure who would be accepted by all the various parties and it's not just political parties of course there's armed groups in the country who al fall and have a state. of the moment but one would expect that the first step they will have to agree on the criteria and then they go move forward to a nominee and then shortlist and then eventually select who is to be agree remember where sudan is a very highly polarized country in terms of political groupings and as you mentioned there are the groups but also not forget they used who led these protests

they also have to agree on that so they have to find a unified. i figure that have the ability to lead the government during this very difficult time and i think it's going to be a very tough task in the hands of the politicians and civil society and all these and the military i think they're very smartly bit asking that ok bring me a consensus figure and we will move together i think putting now the ball in the court of the the this is all sides thank you very much for your time and you're in our lives. thank you that's the place as they want to other news now to libya where some fighters loyal toward khalifa haftar have reportedly surrendered south of tripoli handing in their weapons and. the forces loyal to the u.s. backed government the two sides have been fighting for control of tripoli since

earlier this month. or this comes of thousands of civilians have been forced out of their homes on the southern outskirts of tripoli mark without that why have reports on the worsening humanitarian situation. displeased in their own country this is one of the many offices in the libyan capital where people affected by the latest fighting have come to register their names they were promised food and shelter for hamad left his home in one of the ruby area south of tripoli after random gunfire hit their house he says he and his family narrowly escaped death. our house was in the crossfire from three directions so i gathered my family and took shelter in one room five minutes later a rocket landed and exploded in the house it destroyed three rooms. fighting has intensified near civilians areas since the forces loyal to their have to launch

an offensive to take control of the capital tripoli on the fourth of april for you and back to police the government has launched a counteroffensive to defend the. capitan the fighting soon currently extends to around one hundred sixty kilometers south of tripoli it includes the areas of sheer the disused international airport else one e. so give me some say hill where there'll be and ends are several occasions in and around tripoli have been also hit by a restrikes the united nations says more than one thousand people have left their homes to escape the fighting on the southern outskirts of tripoli government officials here say that number continues to rise and there and back the government is accusing have those forces of targeting civilian areas with heavy weapons mohammed says he saw dead bodies near his house and one of his neighbors was killed

by a random bullet here and his family hardly had any chance to collect their ballooning says one woman. we don't know where we should go wife has been destroyed in our area it's caves there and we're left everything behind including our livestock. they're being provided with food and blankets by aid organizations but municipal council members say they don't have enough shelters to accommodate the groomed number of displaced people. but that five hundred families have registered only in the center we are getting more people but the problem we face now is that we don't have enough shelters we have even used state hotels and hospitals to lodge them some of these people have been provided to prairie houses by local do numbers others hostage by their relatives but has it own neighborhoods have turned it into a better resume their water at the houses they've lived to behind could be

destroyed in the fighting. do hate engines iraq tripoli. the u.s. secretary of state has met venezuelan refugees in a colombian but what a talent is he once again called on president nicolas maduro to step down my compost as the us will use all economic and political pressure to hold the world to account he was in the city of cork with us to wrap up a four nation tour of latin america with the goal of further isolating the two. the united states will continue to utilize every economic and political means at our disposal to help the venezuelan people. using sanctions vsa revocations and other means we pledge to hold the regime and those propping up accountable for their corruption and their repression of democracy.