Part 5/15:
Threat Perception: Cartels versus Geopolitical Powers
Schultz argues that in the long-term, criminal cartels, especially CJNG, pose a more immediate security threat to North America than nation-states like China or Russia. She highlights that cartels have infiltrated US and Canadian societies—compromising communities, corrupting officials, and amassing economic power—without needing to be a formal nation-state.
The fentanyl crisis underscores their deadly influence; cartels supply vast quantities of lethal drugs that result in thousands of deaths across North America. This approach, involving chemical and biological warfare in the form of addictive, often-fatal drugs, makes them an immediate threat to public safety and national security.