I would say Paraguay is the Columbia of 20 years ago... it is the second largest Global producer of Marijuana, and about equal with Columbia and Peru in terms of Cocaine production. The war on drugs and war in general probably was sucessful in making it too expensive and unsafe to grow there.

Paraguay is also probably right behind Afghanistan in terms of percentage of GDP from drug revenue.

Columbia has oil especially offshore and a more diversified economy.

But in terms of the United States Mexico is certainly the columbia of 20 years ago. Mexico is the world leader in production of marijuana, and ranks near the top in the synthesis of raw drugs into cocaine and heroin. Mexico is also probably the leader in illegal steroid production, and violating our patents on medicine. Call it (the production of generics before the rightful time)...

So mexico is a more advanced drug economy...but also has a lot of gold, silver, copper and oil and unlike Columbia of years ago...does a ton of trade with us, not all in legally enforceable contracts...

On the legal side alone Mexico is our second largest market for exports, and third in imports. Columbia now or 20 years ago never came close. Which is why Paraguay is a closer analogy I think.

It would be interesting to see some imaginative numbers for the sum total of all contracts entered into by consent alone.

Most of that marijuana grown in Mexico ends up in the U.S. and doesn't end up counting as an import.

Heck drug bust in Columbus, OH today nabbed a few thousand pounds of pot and a million in cash, with ties to mexican mafia. The suspects are named Miranda.

More than twice 20 years ago someone named Miranda in Arizona, gave us a procedural constitutional right.

Whatever Mexico is today, it isn't nearly as insignificant as Columbia was 20 years ago or is today.

I think you could say that the Latin Kings are the bloods, crips and Hells angels of 20 years ago.

The difference between the mexicans and columbians is that the mexicans are more assimilated.