Borderline Documentary
Borderline begins with a tragic scene in Coahuila, Mexico, where a violent drug cartel, facilitated by dubious DEA practices, left over three hundred people dead or missing in the short span of three days. From here, we trace back the origins of the drug trade, not in the developing world, but in 19th century Boston and the opium barons who ushered in the real foundations of modern-day America with fortunes built through drug trafficking. Armed with this perspective, Borderline examines the invisible thread that runs underneath the current epidemic of drug violence in Latin America, the massive illicit drug market in the United States, and how such seemingly unrelated themes like intellectual property and mineral rights play a vital role in the more than four-decade long war on drugs. Meanwhile, the border between the United States and Mexico looms large, as a historic shift in relations precipitated by the political climate in both countries augurs an uncertain future. Borderline concludes with a look at the aftermath of the DEA's actions in Coahuila, and how the war on drugs is entering a new phase as the Anglo-American establishment attempts to consolidate military and economic power, not only south of the border, but the world.
