Drug

Death of Marine commander scarred by 1983 Beirut bombing serves as reminder of risks US troops stationed in Middle East still face

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Gen. Alfred M. Gray Jr., who died on March 20, 2024, at the age of 95, was seen as a legend for his heroism in combat.

Key Points: 
  • Gen. Alfred M. Gray Jr., who died on March 20, 2024, at the age of 95, was seen as a legend for his heroism in combat.
  • But despite his military success, Gray, who went on to serve as the 29th commandant of the Marine Corps from 1987 to 1991, will always be associated with one of the darkest days in U.S. military history: the Beirut barracks bombing on Oct. 23, 1983.
  • The terrorist attack killed more than 300 people, including 241 U.S. service personnel under Gray’s command, although he was stateside at the time of the attack.
  • As a scholar currently doing research for a project on that attack, I can’t help but note that Gray’s death comes amid a surge of violence in Lebanon and at a time when U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East are again being targeted by Islamist groups funded by Iran.

Marines in Lebanon


Gray’s experience with U.S. involvement in Lebanon underscores the dangers American troops face when deployed to volatile areas. On June 4, 1981, he was assigned to command the 2nd Marine Division and all the battalions that went into a war-torn Lebanon from 1982 to 1984.

  • It began on April 13, 1975, and, similar to the upsurge in violence in Lebanon now, it was fueled by events south of the country’s border.
  • Palestinians expelled or fleeing from what became Israel in 1948 ended up as refugees in neighboring countries, including Lebanon.
  • By the mid-1970s, over 20,000 PLO fighters were in Lebanon and launching attacks on Israel.
  • In 1982, Israel launched Operation Peace for Galilee, invaded Lebanon and occupied Beirut with the intention of destroying PLO forces.

Day of attack

  • Minutes later, a similar attack took place in the French quarter, resulting in the deaths of 58 French paratroopers.
  • To this day, this event remains the deadliest single-day attack for the United States Marine Corps since the battle of Iwo Jima in 1945.
  • The Beirut barracks bombing was a personal affair for Gray; his troops were in Lebanon, and he had visited them just months before the attack.


After the bombing, Gray attended over 100 funerals of the service members killed. He also offered his resignation over the incident – the only senior officer to do so. His request was declined.

Lessons from 1983

  • One could draw many parallels between the Beirut barracks bombing of 1983 and current events.
  • In August 1982, President Ronald Reagan expressed his grave concern over Israel’s conduct in Lebanon and warned Israel about using American weaponry offensively.
  • Forty years on, American troops in the Middle East remain a target for much the same reason.
  • There is another parallel: Just as the group that claimed responsibility for the 1983 Beirut attack was being financed by Iran, so too today are the groups responsible for attacking U.S. bases across the Middle East.
  • Spurred by failings involved in the 1983 bombing, Gray sought to reform the Marine Corps after the tragedy, with greater focus on intelligence-gathering and understanding enemy groups.


Mireille Rebeiz does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

EU migration overhaul stresses fast-track deportations and limited appeal rights for asylum seekers

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 23, 2024

The pact is a legacy of the 2015 migration crisis when EU countries saw more than 1 million people claim asylum after arriving, mainly by boat, to European countries.

Key Points: 
  • The pact is a legacy of the 2015 migration crisis when EU countries saw more than 1 million people claim asylum after arriving, mainly by boat, to European countries.
  • Front-line European countries, including Greece and Italy, were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers, prompting anti-migrant violence and a backlash from far-right political parties.
  • Authorities there were struggling to provide the bare minimum of aid and failing to provide legal protection or process asylum claims.
  • But to critics of the pact, the reforms will institutionalize inequality, instrumentalize migration crises and ignore the actual holes in migration governance.

Stalling reform

  • Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland refused to participate, and in 2020 the EU Court of Justice found they had broken EU law.
  • Nevertheless, the quota system was never scaled up, leaving front-line states to continue to process much of Europe’s refugee population.
  • Since 2016, the European Commission has proposed multiple reforms, but negotiations stalled because of opposition from far-right governments in Eastern Europe.
  • Previously, the database included only fingerprints – not images or biographic details – of people above the age of 14.
  • The pact also makes it easier for police to access the database.
  • Together, these other four directives work to make it harder for people to make asylum claims in the EU.
  • They claim that the reforms also undermine the right of appeal – sometimes deporting people before an appeals decision is finalized – and expand detention.

Leveraging migration flows

  • Biden’s executive order paralleled President Donald Trump’s earlier transit and entry bans, arguing that asylum seekers must apply in the first safe country they transit.
  • The EU reforms also parallel recent proposals from Biden to shut down the border during migration surges.
  • There is growing academic literature on “migration diplomacy” and “refugee blackmail” that documents how states leverage migration flows as a tool in their foreign policy.
  • Critics argue that this commodifies refugees – literally putting a price tag on individual lives – while undermining solidarity.

‘Fortress Europe’


The need for EU migration reform was made clear by the 2015 crisis faced by front-line European countries. But rather than address the real problems of low state capacity, processing times, human rights protections, or conditions in detention centers, I believe the pact will reinforce the concept of “Fortress Europe” by investing in deterrence and deportation, not human rights.
Nicholas R. Micinski does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Cannabis legalization has led to a boom in potent forms of the drug that present new hazards for adolescents

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 23, 2024

When other drugs would occasionally come up, I didn’t understand some of the slang terms they used for these drugs.

Key Points: 
  • When other drugs would occasionally come up, I didn’t understand some of the slang terms they used for these drugs.
  • Many people may have that feeling now when the topic of cannabis comes up – especially in its different and newer forms.
  • A major change during my time in research is the legalization and explosion of cannabis availability across the U.S.

A shifting landscape

  • It also serves as a catch-all term for any substance with chemical compounds from cannabis plants and addresses concerns that the word marijuana has some long-standing racist overtones.
  • Cannabis now comes in a larger variety of forms than it used to.
  • These include oils that can be vaporized by vape or dab pens, waxier substances and even powders.

How cannabis derivatives interact with the brain

  • Each one interacts with the brain in different ways, producing different perceived effects.
  • The differences between THC and CBD come from how they interact with cannabinoid receptors – the proteins onto which these drugs attach – in the brain and body.

The changing nature of cannabis products

  • By increasing the amount of THC, concentrated products can increase blood levels of THC rapidly and more strongly than nonconcentrates such as traditional smoked cannabis.
  • Cannabis concentrates also come in many different forms that range from waxy or creamy to hard and brittle.
  • They are made in a variety of ways that may require dry ice, water or flammable solvents such as butane.
  • The myriad names for cannabis concentrates can be confusing.

Cannabis use and adolescents

  • A 2021 systematic review found that past-year cannabis vaping nearly doubled from 2017 to 2020 in adolescents - jumping from 7.2% to 13.2%.
  • In addition, a 2020 study found that one-third of adolescents who vape do so with cannabis concentrates.
  • Cannabis use by adolescents is scary because it can alter the way their brains develop.
  • Adolescents who use cannabis are also more likely to experience symptoms of schizophrenia, struggle more in school and engage in other risky behaviors.
  • This article is part of Legal cannabis turns 10, a series examining the impact of a decade of recreational cannabis use.


Ty Schepis receives funding from US Food and Drug Administration and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. His research is also supported by a faculty fellowship from the Texas State University Translational Health Research Center.

The murder of Giacomo Matteotti – reinvestigating Italy’s most infamous cold case

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 23, 2024

He is on a secret mission to meet representatives of Britain’s ruling Labour party – including, he hopes, the recently elected prime minister, Ramsay MacDonald.

Key Points: 
  • He is on a secret mission to meet representatives of Britain’s ruling Labour party – including, he hopes, the recently elected prime minister, Ramsay MacDonald.
  • The 38-year-old Matteotti, a tireless defender of workers’ rights, still hopes Mussolini can be stopped.
  • For Matteotti, this new British government – the first to be led by Labour, although not as a majority – is a beacon of hope.

Four days in London

  • Britain’s new prime minister was a working-class Scot who had made his way up via humble jobs and political activism.
  • In contrast, Matteotti hailed from a wealthy family that owned 385 acres in the Polesine region of north-eastern Italy.
  • The team is working with academics from different backgrounds who have been engaged in projects aimed at tackling societal and scientific challenges.
  • But something else may have troubled Mussolini about Matteotti’s visit to London – part of a European tour that also included stops in Brussels and Paris.

Death of a socialist

  • He had reportedly been working on this speech day and night, studying data and checking numbers for many hours.
  • This secret group, known as Ceka after the Soviet political police created to repress dissent, had been following Matteotti for weeks.
  • The squad’s leader, US-born Amerigo Dumini, reputedly boasted of having previously killed several socialist activists.
  • Socialist MPs, alerted by Matteotti’s wife, denounced the MP’s disappearance – but were not altogether surprised by it.
  • For a few days, it appeared that the resulting public outrage – much of it aimed at Mussolini himself – might even bring down Italy’s government, spelling the death knell for fascism.

Why was Matteotti murdered?

  • His death can be seen as one of the most consequential political assassinations of the 20th century.
  • Yet for the Italian right, Matteotti is a ghost.
  • Throughout her political career, Italy’s current prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has hardly ever spoken about the historical crimes of fascists in Italy, and not once about the murder of Matteotti.
  • The historical debate about the murder has also never reached a unanimous conclusion about who gave the order to kill Matteotti and why.

The LSE documents

  • The story of how the documents came to be secreted away in the LSE library takes us back to London for another clandestine visit – this time by Gaetano Salvemini, an esteemed professor of modern history who fled Italy in November 1925.
  • In December 1926, while still in London, Salvemini received the secret package which he soon passed on to the LSE.
  • But they were driven by the conviction that these documents could one day prove beyond doubt that Mussolini had orchestrated Matteotti’s assassination.
  • Salvemini may thus have considered the LSE a safe haven – and there the documents have remained ever since.

A voice from the dead

  • Rather, the move allowed Mussolini to legislate unchallenged while the seats of the 123 MPs who had joined the rebellion were left vacant.
  • Matteotti’s article, entitled “Machiavelli, Mussolini and Fascism”, was a response to an article published in the magazine’s June issue by Mussolini himself.
  • The Italian prime minister’s translated essay about the Renaissance intellectual Niccolò Machiavelli had carried the provocative headline “The Folly of Democracy”.
  • The article was widely commented on in the British press, which had been following the story of Matteotti’s murder almost daily.
  • His funeral was rushed through very quickly, with the coffin being transported overnight in an attempt to prevent public gatherings.

The end of Italian democracy

  • In a speech to parliament on January 3 1925, he took “political responsibility” for the murder while not admitting to ordering it.
  • Mussolini’s speech ended with a rhetorical invitation to indict him – to a parliament now populated only by fascists.
  • The speech signalled the end of Italian democracy.
  • The nature of Mussolini’s involvement was little discussed in the wake of his execution in April 1945 and the end of the second world war.
  • Was it the evidence of the Mussolini government’s corruption that he planned to reveal to the Italian parliament the day after his kidnap?


For you: more from our Insights series:
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  • He has also received funding from the Fondazione Giacomo Matteotti to study the LSE documents.
  • Gianluca Fantoni does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Getting a good night’s rest is vital for neurodiverse children – pediatric sleep experts explain why

Retrieved on: 
Friday, April 19, 2024

If you’re a parent with kids at home, it often leaves you and your children on edge.

Key Points: 
  • If you’re a parent with kids at home, it often leaves you and your children on edge.
  • Children with neurodiverse conditions, such as autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, are even more susceptible to the effects of poor sleep, given their emotional reactivity and impulsivity..
  • Struggles with sleep have been linked to increased aggression, irritability, inattention and hyperactivity in children with autism spectrum disorder.

The science behind sleep difficulties

  • There are multiple reasons why neurodiverse children don’t sleep well, including medical conditions, biological causes and behavioral and environmental factors.
  • Medical conditions, such as obstructive sleep apnea or epilepsy, can affect a child’s sleep.
  • Medications that are used to treat medical conditions, such as antidepressants for mood disorders or stimulants for ADHD, can further disrupt sleep.

Treating sleep problems


All of these factors can be addressed and treated. A thorough evaluation by the child’s health care provider may reveal a medical cause, or medication, that is interfering with sleep. Behavioral approaches can make a big difference in improving sleep. These might include:
Changes to daytime habits, including getting lots of morning light and physical activity.
Shifts in evening habits, such as removing all screens (TV, computers, phones, etc.) and establishing calming bedtime routines.
Modifications to how a parent interacts with their child for those families who would like a child to fall asleep and stay asleep independently.

  • It’s important to note that not all families want their children to sleep on their own.
  • Because there are so many factors that can cause disrupted sleep, addressing sleep problems cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach and should be done in partnership with parents.
  • Our team has developed a family-centered approach to address sleep problems in neurodiverse children.

The ups and downs of melatonin

  • While behavioral approaches are recommended as a first-line treatment, melatonin can be helpful in jump-starting a behavioral routine.
  • Overdoses can result from children eating a bunch of gummies, or parents not understanding how much melatonin is safe to give.
  • To help parents sift through all the resources and articles on melatonin on the internet and social media, one of us created a video and wrote several blogs on melatonin safety.
  • These include topics like whether children can become dependent on melatonin supplements over time, whether taking melatonin will delay puberty, whether children might experience side effects from taking melatonin and more.

Promoting healthier sleep


Here are some general tips for helping your child sleep better, regardless of whether they are neurodiverse:
Choose a consistent bedtime and wake time. This consistency will help children’s own natural melatonin kick in.
Make sure bedtime isn’t too early. For example, an 8 p.m. bedtime is too early for most 10-year-olds. Neurodiverse children may struggle to sleep and will become more anxious, which makes going to sleep even harder.
Help your child get natural sunlight in the morning. Morning sunlight sets our brain’s internal clock so that we can fall asleep more easily at bedtime.
Ensure your child is getting physical activity during the day.
Minimize naps longer than one hour, or after 4 p.m. for school-age children. Naps can interfere with going to sleep at night.
Avoid caffeine, including many types of soda, tea and chocolate.
Turn off all screens and smartphones at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
In the evening leading up to bedtime, turn down all lights in the house. Consider using red night lights, if possible. Set any devices to night mode in the evening to limit exposure to blue light.
Create wind-down time in place of screens. Have your child identify an activity they enjoy that is calming and soothing, such as reading a book, coloring or listening to music. If a bath is stimulating, move it to earlier in the evening, such as after dinner.
Help your child learn to fall asleep without needing you or their devices to be there with them. That way, they will settle down on their own at bedtime. And when they wake up throughout the night, since we all wake up in the night, they will be able to go right back to sleep without becoming fully awake.
For more tips, see Autism Speaks for free downloads of brochures and visual aids.

  • She also receives funding from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
  • She has received funding from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Autism Speaks for research on sleep in children with ASD.

Domestic politics will be a key factor in how far things escalate between Israel and Iran

Retrieved on: 
Friday, April 19, 2024

Following Iran’s barrage of drone and missile attacks on April 13, Israel has retaliated and conducted a strike attack near the city of Isfahan in southern Iran.

Key Points: 
  • Following Iran’s barrage of drone and missile attacks on April 13, Israel has retaliated and conducted a strike attack near the city of Isfahan in southern Iran.
  • Both sides have now matched each other in striking targets within each other’s national border.
  • However, details of the extent of any damage done by Israel’s strike are disputed and are being played down by Iran.

The politics of status

  • Domestic issues can play an important role here, in how the political and military elites of both states decide to react.
  • Despite the majority of the Israeli public being in favour of the campaign to eradicate Hamas in Gaza, he remains unpopular.
  • Hence there are good reasons for him to respond military to the challenge posed by Iran.

Regime forged in war

  • Historically, the trauma of war has been used by the Islamic Republic to foster nationalism among the population.
  • Following the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, the loss of Iranian life, which totalled in the hundreds of thousands, played a huge role in cementing “the formation and empowerment of the Islamic Republic”.
  • Militarily contesting Israel can be perceived as a means of solidifying the regime’s position internally and enhancing the country’s image within the region.
  • At present, neither side has the ability to send an expeditionary force into each other’s territory.


Ben Soodavar does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Russia and the Taliban: here’s why Putin wants to get closer to Afghanistan’s current rulers

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, April 18, 2024

The Kremlin has opened up discussions with the Taliban before, and Russia was one of the few nations to accredit a diplomat when the organisation took control of Afghanistan.

Key Points: 
  • The Kremlin has opened up discussions with the Taliban before, and Russia was one of the few nations to accredit a diplomat when the organisation took control of Afghanistan.
  • But Afghanistan’s political and economic crisis and western sanctions on Russia due to the Ukraine war mean both sides have something to gain from a stronger relationship.
  • A few months later, Vladimir Putin signed a decree implementing the UN resolution and imposing sanctions against the Taliban.

Interests and goals

  • The Taliban wants international sanctions to be withdrawn, to take Afghanistan’s UN seat and for frozen assets to be released, which will help the country’s economic development.
  • Russia taking the Taliban off their terrorism list would be a first step toward international recognition for the current Afghan government.
  • Russia’s 2023 foreign policy plan mentions prospects for Afghanistan’s integration into “the Eurasian space for cooperation”.

Russia’s relationship building

  • The increasing cooperation between the Taliban and Russia has implications in terms of the ongoing rivalry between Russia and the west.
  • Since the beginning of the Ukraine war, Moscow has tried to get other nations to support its strategic view of why the war is happening.
  • This version of history and policy positions Russia as a protector of traditional religions and values and places it among major world civilisations, contrasting it with the “godless” west.


Intigam Mamedov does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Draft revised Heads of Medicines Agency / European Medicines Agency guidance document on the identification of personal data and commercially confidential information within the structure of the marketing authorisation application dossier

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Steps, Union, Patient, CTD, Syndrome, CCI, Local, Disclosure, Toxicity, Process validation, MAH, Clinical trial, IP, RMP, Pharmacovigilance, Cell, Legislation, Annex, Trial of the century, Escherichia coli, Safety, Pediatrics, INTRODUCTION, Documentation, Prevalence, Vital signs, Tablet, Design, Transparency, Conclusion, Pip, Analysis, European Parliament, INN, Record, Quality, Generic, Biology, CMO, Genotoxicity, Composition, CTIS, Uncontrolled, Health care, European Medicines Agency, Prejudice, Committee, Policy, HCP, Animal, Characterization, Cell bank, Fertility, IRB, CMOS, Risk management, Private law, European Pharmacopoeia, Telephone, Research, Good, Data Protection Directive, Ampere-hour, IEC, QP, Human, Personal data, Labelling, Bibliography, Figure, MAA, R4, Institutional review board, Elucidation, Marketing, M4, ChromeOS, Contract research organization, Mental, Impairment, Toxicokinetics, NCA, Independent, Metabolite, Drug, Risk, Metabolism, GMO, Organ, EMA, Common Technical Document, General Data Protection Regulation, Confidentiality, PPD, PI, Language, DRUG, Privacy, Result, Claimed, Medication, Comparison, Ethics, Drive, PD, Narrative, EEA, Developmental toxicity, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pharmacopoeia, PIP, MCB, HMA, Physical chemistry, Midol, Particle size, Council, GCP, European Economic Area, Draft, Fermentation, Overview, Justification, Control, Dicarboxylic acid, Pharmacology, WCB, Expert, Immunogenicity, Data, Study, Publication, European, ICH, Element, Analytical procedures (finance auditing), Name, Common, Guideline, Exceptional circumstances, ID, Liver, Chin Na, Toxicology, Protein primary structure, Immunosuppressive drug, Vaccine

See websites for contact details

Key Points: 
    • See websites for contact details
      Heads of Medicines Agencies www.hma.eu
      European Medicines Agency www.ema.europa.eu

      11

      Table of contents

      12

      Abbreviations .............................................................................................. 3

      13

      Definitions ................................................................................................... 4

      14

      1.

    • redaction, masking,

      68

      hiding) in such a manner that the recipient can no longer attribute the resulting information to a data

      69

      subject and make it identifiable.

    • 81

      Contract Manufacturing Organisation (CMO): shall mean an arrangement under which a

      82

      manufacturer provides upstream manufacturing services under contract on behalf of third-party

      83

      pharmaceutical companies.

    • 94

      Protected Personal Data (PPD): shall mean any personal data which should be protected from

      95

      disclosure.

    • ?Finalised? shall mean that the marketing

      102

      authorisation (MA) has been granted or refused or that the MAA has been withdrawn.

    • The application of the general principles laid down in this guidance is without prejudice to

      106

      national rules on transparency.

    • The guidance should be read in conjunction with the relevant applicable

      107

      legislation and case law on transparency and data protection.

    • 117

      This guidance document is intended to apply to information/documents on medicinal products for

      118

      human use, for which the procedure has been finalised under the national, mutual recognition,

      119

      decentralised and centralised procedures.

    • Third

      124

      parties shall be informed or consulted as needed depending on respective national and European legal

      125

      frameworks.

    • 140

      In the following sections, the agreed principles on PD and CCI are presented, including guidance on

      141

      whether such information can be disclosed.

    • EMA/131365/2024

      Page 5/50

      142

      Any information identified as PD or CCI must be subject to a preliminary review by the EMA/NCA prior

      143

      to the possible disclosure of the information/documents.

    • Principles on the protection of personal data (PD)

      145

      The protection of PD is enshrined in EU legislation; it is a fundamental right of EU citizens.

    • In

      146

      compliance with the applicable European/national legislation, PD should be anonymised in order to

      147

      avoid the disclosure of the document undermining the privacy and integrity of any individual.

    • EMA/NCA applies a risk-based approach to assess which PD elements are to be

      152

      removed from the information/documents in order to limit the risk of re-identification.

    • are included in the MAA dossier because they have a legally

      164

      defined role or responsibility and it is in the public interest to disclose this data.

    • 168

      Applicants are advised that non-essential information (e.g., personal address, personal phone number)

      169

      should not be included in the MAA dossier.

    • The

      183

      confidentiality of records that could identify subjects should be protected, respecting the privacy and

      184

      confidentiality rules in accordance with the applicable regulatory requirement(s).

    • 185

      The applicant remains responsible for compliance with the relevant legislation in cases where such data

      186

      is inadvertently included in the MAA dossier.

    • 188

      EMA/NCA applies a risk-based approach to assess which personal data elements need to be removed

      189

      from the information/documents in order to limit the risk of re-identification.

    • 194

      EMA/NCA applies a risk-based approach to assess which personal data elements need to be removed

      195

      from the information/documents in order to limit the risk of re-identification.

    • 205

      Any proposal to consider information as commercially confidential should be properly justified by the

      206

      owner of the information.

    • In this respect, any reference(s) to the risk of that interest being

      209

      undermined should be foreseeable and not purely hypothetical.

    • 210

      Information that is already in the public domain is not considered to be commercially confidential.

    • Information on the Quality and Manufacturing of medicines

      226

      A general principle regarding quality and manufacturing information is that detailed information could

      227

      be considered commercially confidential but general information should be disclosed.

    • 234

      In general, and if not in the public domain, the names of manufacturers or suppliers of the active

      235

      substance or the excipients are considered commercially confidential.

    • 248

      A general description of the type of test methods used and the appropriateness of the specification is

      249

      not commercially confidential.

    • General information on the fermentation and purification process

      259

      is not commercially confidential, although details including operating parameters and specific material

      260

      requirements are commercially confidential.

    • 273

      A general description of the type of test methods used and the appropriateness of the specification is

      274

      not commercially confidential.

    • In general, the data included in clinical trial study reports is considered to be data that can be

      283

      disclosed once PD has been anonymised.

    • 338

      In each module, a non-exhaustive list of information that may be considered protected personal data (PPD) or commercially confidential information

      332
      333

      339

      (CCI) is included.

    • ?

      Direct contact details such as telephone

      Therefore, please refer to the appropriate sub-

      number, fax number, email, postal address,

      modules hereafter for guidance.

    • ?

      Information that may reveal strategic
      (contractual) agreements

      ?

      Any quality information on the clinical batches

      principal investigator

      that might be included here (such as e.g.

    • ?

      Information that may reveal strategic
      (contractual) agreements

      principal investigator

      Study Reports
      5.3.3.3

      as the evaluation of new formulation, innovative

      number, fax number, email, postal

      Paediatric Development Plan (PIP), etc.

    • This may include taking into

      More Than One Study
      5.3.5.4

      Other Clinical Study Reports

      5.3.6

      Reports of Post-Marketing
      Experience

      5.3.7

      Direct identifiers such as name,
      signature, contact details, etc.

How the ‘Mexican miracle’ kickstarted the modern US–Mexico drugs trade

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, April 10, 2024

The flow of cheap and deadly fentanyl over the border into the US has also fuelled an opioid epidemic that has killed over 1 million Americans since 2000.

Key Points: 
  • The flow of cheap and deadly fentanyl over the border into the US has also fuelled an opioid epidemic that has killed over 1 million Americans since 2000.
  • It is a dark side to the so-called “Mexican miracle” that transformed the country’s economy between the 1940s and 1970s.
  • Stimulated by the Mexican and US governments’ promotion of infrastructure improvements and mass migration, the drug trade fuelled further lawful economic development throughout the country.

Cops, cartels and cash crops

  • Many of Durango’s battled-scarred and poverty-stricken former miners adapted to the national and global turbulence by turning to opium poppies, a profitable (and since 1920, illegal) cash crop.
  • Sap from opium poppies provides the raw material for drugs like morphine and heroin.
  • In response, US officials like Harry J. Anslinger promoted a “crusade” against the drug trade on both sides of the border.
  • In 1944, a joint US–Mexican expedition uncovered the largest opium plantation ever discovered in Mexico: the size of 325 football pitches.

Cold war Mexico

  • As the second world war gave way to the cold war, Latin American countries (often with US financial assistance) promoted urbanisation, industrialisation, infrastructural expansion, population growth and transnational economic integration.
  • Between 1950 and 1970, Mexico’s one-party state invested massively in public services and industrial and agricultural development.
  • But they helped connect the poppy fields of Durango to the rest of northern Mexico and the US border too.

The ‘heroin highway’

  • It consolidated Durango’s importance as a Mexican drug-production centre and transformed Chicago into the biggest heroin-trafficking hub on the continent.
  • The cash that trafficking organisations earned wholesaling heroin in the US was reinvested locally in everything from cattle ranches to construction companies and even an airline.
  • Instead, these were completely intertwined with the economic growth, infrastructure development and mass migration that characterised the Mexican miracle.
  • The story of the modern US–Mexican drug trade is not just about brutal violence and lives cut tragically short.


Nathaniel Morris received part of the funding for this research from the Leverlhulme Trust. He is affiliated with the Mexico & Central America Program of Noria Research.

Ecuador: raid on Mexican embassy draws international criticism – but President Noboa hopes voters approve

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Ecuador’s security forces recently conducted a raid on the Mexican embassy in the country’s capital city, Quito.

Key Points: 
  • Ecuador’s security forces recently conducted a raid on the Mexican embassy in the country’s capital city, Quito.
  • Against the backdrop of rampant narco-terrorism and escalating regional tensions, concerns have been raised about Ecuador’s respect for these fundamental principles.
  • The police raid on April 5 has drawn widespread criticism targeting Ecuador’s president, Daniel Noboa.
  • The country’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, condemned what it called the “despicable authoritarian” raid which is declared to be in violation of international law.

A political raid

  • To an extent the raid on the Mexican embassy is bound up with the Ecuadorian government’s aggressive approach to the country’s problems with drugs and gang violence.
  • Noboa’s initially high approval ratings have been falling thanks to the public perception that his hardline policies have done little to address the issue.
  • But Noboa’s referendum appears to serve a dual political purpose.

Sovereignty and security

  • So the raid on the Mexican embassy has raised doubts in many people’s minds as to whether a government with apparently scant regard for international law can be trusted not to abuse its new security laws.
  • The importance of Mexico’s relationship with Ecuador is central to addressing the mobility crisis in the region.
  • To protect people’s security in the region, diplomatic collaboration between countries such as Ecuador and Mexico is vital.


The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.