Support Slipping for Mexico’s Drug War
August 5, 2009 by Border Explorer
Support for Mexican President Calderon’s military-led (and US-backed) drug war is waning. Both ordinary citizens and Mexican government leaders are questioning the effort, according to a recent article in the Washington Post (linked below). It reports:
“There are now sustained calls in Mexico for a change in tactics, even from allies within Calderon’s political party, who say the deployment of 45,000 soldiers to fight the cartels is a flawed plan that relies too heavily on the blunt force of the military to stem soaring violence and lawlessness.”
Ramon Galindo, a senator, a supporter of the President, and a former mayor of the border city Cuidad Juarez that counts over 1,100 violent deaths so far in 2009, told the journalists: “The people of Mexico are losing hope, and it is urgent that Congress, the political parties and the president reconsider this strategy.”
Calderón appears to be increasingly isolated in Mexico, weakened by his party’s defeat in recent mid-term elections, by the carnage that continues unabated, and by “spectacular drug cartel assaults.”
Mexico’s unique challenges
Although U.S. DEA chief of intelligence Anthony Placido denied any changes were needed in the fight, Mexico’s northern neighbors do anticipate a lengthier, more violent, and more costly battle than initially estimated. The Post states that “Mexico [...] faces a more daunting challenge” than a country like Colombia where the US spent $6 Billion. Two reasons predominate. First, the global economic crisis has created a pool of impoverished Mexicans from which the cartels can recruit. Second, Mexico lies adjacent to the US,“the largest illegal drug market in the world.”
Despite the challenges, continues the article, “U.S. and Mexican government officials say the military strategy, while difficult, is working.” They cite arrest and extradition statistics as evidence for this claim. But inside Mexico many disagree. Analysts like Carlos Flores, an expert from Mexico City’s Center for Investigations and Advanced Studies in Social Anthropology,” told reporters:
“ The question is whether [Mexico] can withstand another three years of this, with violence that undermines the credibility of the government. I’d like to be more optimistic, but what I see is more of the same polarizing and failed strategy.”
Few or no alternatives
Because “neither high-profile arrests nor mass troop deployments have stopped the cartels from unleashing spectacular acts of violence,” many Mexican officials say they don’t know where to turn for answers. “There are no alternatives,” Monte Alejandro Rubido, who works as Calderon’s senior advisor on drug policy on Mexico’s National Security Council, told the paper. However, some officials, like Galindo, say they have “urged Calderon to change course. Instead of relying on the army to destroy cartels, he said, the federal government should work to strengthen local communities that are most vulnerable to the traffickers.”
Carlos Heredia, “a former Michoacan official who now works as an analyst at a Mexico City think tank, said the government’s strong arm approach is a recipe for failure in regions where mistrust of the government is high,” particularly when cartels are, as the Heredia claims, “play[ing] Robin Hood” to win “the hearts and minds of the local population.”
Calderon steadfast
Despite dissension and against the advice of several of his allies and partners in the government, “Calderon has no intention of changing course.” And the United States stands by him – even as the Mexican leader is growing “increasingly isolated” in his own country.
For more information: William Booth and Steve Fainaru, “New Strategy Urged in Mexico” (July 28, 2009) Washington Post
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[...] about Mexico Violence as of August 5, 2009 Wednesday, August 5, 2009 Support Slipping for Mexico’s Drug War – sirenschronicles.com 08/05/2009 Support for Mexican President Calderon’s military-led [...]
It is true that there are many who are against the “drug war” in Mexico, but what you and the Washington Post are not telling people is that the majority of these people are members of the PRI, whose former leadership encouraged narcotics trafficking. Cities such as Tijuana’s very own former Mayor Jorge Hank Rohn and his entire family were tied to drug trafficking and money laundering. if you don’t believe me, google his name in to PBS coverage.
It was under Rohn that huge well known arsenals were kept in Tijuana, Rosarito Beach and infact the complete corridor including Ensenada – and the drug trade, along with kidnappings, extortions, human smuggling and massive Police corruption which the city is now fighting, occured.
Support is hardly slipping here in the north, the Mexican people do not want the Army or the Marines to leave, infact,after 40 assassinations of Police officers by organized crime in just the past two years, more than ever there is huge support for Chief Leyzaola and Mayor Ramos and their fight against organized crime.
Many of the business leaders along the golden corridor whose only concern is money, want to return to the “old days”, when the motto was hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil. This would include the present date Mayor of Rosarito, whose main concern is to promote his condos and hotel rooms and to sell Baja like a whore to the gringos. In concert with the Torres doctrine is a very large group of American profiteers who could care less about social injustices, their utmost motivation is , you guessed it, money.
On the other hand, just recently another faction of business leaders who represent the Zona Central in Tijuana have lobbied the local government for even more military and police protection.
Regarding the situation in Michoacan, hundreds of local PRI politicians, mayors and police have been arrested for their ties to organized crime, and it is simply untrue that this move by Calderon has not received support from the local people. La Familia de Michoacan did, along with Los Zetas try to win the hearts and minds of people years ago, but their true colours were shown at the bombing at La Grita in Morelos, where ordinary Mexican citizens were killed. These days, the tide of support has drastically turned against them. Currently, Los Zetas are deployed along the southern border of Mexico, recruiting and training Honduran and other migrants to be polleros, carrying dope to the US.
It has been verified that the original demonstrations against the Army occupation in Ciudad Juarez were in fact organized by the drug cartel, and keep in mind, whole communities were and still are dependent on the cartels for employment.
Any war loses it’s appeal after several years, what this has turned into, at least in our area is guerilla warfare.
Instead of watered down versions of what is going on here from the Washington Post , which leave people clueless, may I suggest your readers instead be linked to Mexican news sources who have first hand knowledge of the actual situation here?
Here’s a good one, this latest edition describes how now, the majority of dope using the Baja route, coming into ensenada, is no longer controlled by the CAF, but is controlled by the Sinaloa Cartel:
http://www.zetatijuana.com/
Best regards,
Just a surfer chick, you know, who’s only interest is the beach -
Maggie
Maggie Drake´s last blog ..10/15 VIOLENCE TIJUANA COME BACK GRINGA GIRL.NO NEVERMIND STAY IN YOUR CAVE
Thanks for adding so much content from your Tijuana vantagepoint, Maggie. From tracking your blog, I know how knowledgeable you are. You provide first-hand reports from Tijuana.
This post was written a few months ago. Here’s the death count in El Paso/Juarez, updated last week: From the El Paso Times reporting the number of Juarez homicides, year to date:
Juarez: 1,900 (Juarez homicides for the entire year of 2008 = ca. 1,600)
El Paso homicides to date: 10
(The population of Juarez is at least twice as great as that of El Paso’s.
The presence of 10000 troops hasn’t diminished the killing streets of Juarez. Moreover local human rights leaders cite military abuses against the citizenry. The whole situation is a mess. I’m not going to pretend that I have the answer or even a good understanding of the mess. You live in the war zone. You know it better than I do.
There is a saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Increased militarism has not gotten to the root of the problem. Adding more fuel to the fire makes a bigger fire. I’m not against fighting organized crime. Legalizing prohibited drugs just might be a smarter way to fight them. But that’s only my opinion. I like to hear what others think, even if they think differently from me. It gives me something to consider.
Perhaps not all of our readers can track Zeta online in Spanish. But I appreciate the link, especially if you think it is reliable. Thanks again for enriching this meager post with your thoughtful and articulate comment. Keep up the good work. Your life is much more than “just a surfer chick.”
Border Explorer´s last blog ..Address Climate Change as a National Security Threat, Urges Bipartisan Group
You are correct, the Mexican Army has been unable to contain the war going on in Chihuahua, however, I don’t think it is fair to say they have made matters worse. The majority of the killings are the cartels/organized crime fighting each other for control of the plaza. The Army not only cannot control the violence, but they screw up investigations by compromising evidence, mostly by just being not trained properly.
Some people are thinking that since the US will not end the prohibition – which is another subject, Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua might in the future be bartered off and left a no-mans land. This is particularly distressing to the indigenous peoples whom the cartels have been terrorizing for years, and of course innocent people who just happen to live there.
As far as ending the prohibition- before that can even be considered, jobs need to be made available to people here, the cartels/organized crime employs millions. Abruptly ending prohibition would cause massive chaos and even more violence in Mexico. This is what people in the States just have not been able to grasp, so ending prohibition without safeguards is rather pollyanna-istic.
We are talking billions and billions and billions and billions of dollars which need to be invested in Mexico, cannot be done right now. Unfortunately the choices are which poison are you going to take? And there really have been no provisions in the US aid package for social programs to wean the entire society here out of the drug business. Even the US Army Intelligence insists this is a huge blunder by US politicians.
i just have no faith in the extreme left down here, they still are making excuses for FARC who are not only guarding the routes from Peru but dealing dope themselves and supporting the goofball Chavez. Even Fidel Castro broke ties with FARC, but not the guys here. Which also means they could care less about the the abuse of migrants by organized crime, that subject doesn’t even rank as an afterthought.
As far as ZETA I think you’ll enjoy it; they have really suffered, two assassinations and one attempted assassination from exposing corruption and dope in our area and had to move to San Diego for awhile to publish. Without Blancornelius (who recently passed away from normal circumstances) it’s hard to say if they will be as hard hitting, but they sure think Osuna Milan is a phoney and is basically employed by…….guess who?
It’s pretty much gone to shit down here, that’s why they sent in Carlos Pascual who specifically deals with failed states and is on Naomi kline’s blacklist.
Take care,
Maggie
It’s pretty much gone to shit down here… Well, that says it all, Maggie. At any rate, it is so interesting to “discuss” this with you. Thanks very much for investing so much time into this process.
Mexico’s lack of gainful employment is a bedrock fundamental problem. I’d be interested to hear your perspectives on NAFTA sometime. From my point of view, it has exploited Mexico’s poor and enriched the wealthy. One of the projects I work with is a tiny economic cooperative. We only employ eight families. But it is honest work for them in a town that offers no real alternatives. As you say, in terms of the cartel drug “business” we’re talking about billions of dollars and layers of corruption that I doubt it is possible to strip away.
As far as “take care” goes, I just want to say: back at’cha, Maggie. I play it safe in El Paso: one of the safest cities in the U.S. for its size. You’re directly in the war zone. You’re perspective is unique and your voice is strong. The atrocities you report from Tijuana are beyond anything reasonable, rational or civilized. You’ve got a courageous heart.
I chose the name Border Explorer because I am a learner. You are a Border Veteran. I’m really grateful that you’ve taken so much time commenting on these posts. Thanks very much. Stay safe, Maggie.
Border Explorer´s last blog ..Address Climate Change as a National Security Threat, Urges Bipartisan Group
Pollyanna-ish was the prohibition from the get-go. I agree that legalization will not solve many of the problems each country faces. I cannot see a situation where cocaine is made available to the public without some major blow-back, for one. I do believe that marijuana legalization will solve more problems than it causes. But then, that will cause more work-loss here and in Mexico, and, as entrenched as the DEA has become, anything done will take a monumental effort.
Trog, everything you say sounds correct to me, too. What makes things worse is the US government political system is set up to discourage and even dis-allow any talk of the legalization any currently prohibited drug, such as marijuana. If we can’t even talk about it, how can we grapple with such deeply rooted problems? I guess the news this week that the feds are not going to go after the medical marijuana issue is a glimpse of good news.
Border Explorer´s last blog ..Address Climate Change as a National Security Threat, Urges Bipartisan Group