Pubdate: Tue, 27 Jan 2009 Source: Corpus Christi Caller-Times (TX) Copyright: 2009 Corpus Christi Caller-Times Contact: http://web.caller.com/commcentral/email_ed.html Website: http://www.caller.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/872 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/mexico MEXICO'S DEADLY DRUG WAR IS GROWING THREAT TO U.S. Mexico has taken enormous losses in its battle against the drug mafias, not only in dead law enforcement officers, but in corrupted ones, too. Last week, officials in the top levels of the Mexican government were rounded up, accused of being in the pay of the drug lords. It was another depressing sign of the depth to which the cartels have infiltrated Mexico's highest circles. The roundup of suspect officials comes just as the United States begins to funnel the first of $400 million in high-tech equipment, helicopters, communication gear and technology to help Mexican President Felipe Calderon in his administration's battle with the drug gangs. It's a tough enemy Calderon is up against. The gangs are well armed; they have rocket-propelled grenades, mines, assault rifles, and heavy machine guns. This is armament worthy of an enemy army, which is what the drug organizations represent. Those criminal organizations are now being recognized as a national security threat not only to Mexico but also to the United States. The U.S. Joint Forces Command in a recent report linked Mexico with Pakistan as potentially failing states. The report said the continued assault on the Mexican government raises the possibility -- though admittedly the potential is remote -- that the United States might have a failed state on its southern border. This is an alarming prospect for border states such as Texas. In his pre-inaugural meeting with Calderon, President Barack Obama pledged that the United States would strengthen its cooperation with Mexico. Such pronouncements are traditional for U.S. presidents meeting with their Mexican counterparts. And it would be expected that any attention that Obama might want to focus on Mexico would be distracted by the effort to revive the American economy. But this is a pledge that Obama must honor as best as can be done because Mexico's situation seems to be worsening rather than improving. Calderon is on the right track in confronting the drug gangs, though even he probably didn't anticipate the enormity of the problem, or the level of violence that would ensue. Previous governments had simply chosen to look the other way, in effect making the decision to live and let live when it came to the growing drug cartels. The deception was that Mexico was peaceful, but democratic governments are on the losing end when criminality is allowed such a free hand. Some in Mexico are holding Calderon, rather than the criminals, responsible for the violence that claimed some 6,000 lives last year. Many of those who died -- some of them were gruesomely beheaded -- were criminals, but many were also police, federal agents and local officials. The latest roundup is apparently the result of American intelligence efforts in infiltrating one of the two major cartels, the Sinaloa group. One of the biggest catches actually happened late last year when Noe Ramirez, the country's drug czar, was arrested for being on the take to the tune of $450,000 a month. He is the second person to hold the post to be arrested for corruption. The latest group of high-ranking officials are also accused of being on the take from the Sinaloa group, which apparently is more inclined to use money rather than outright intimidation to get the ear of officials. American officials say they still are confident of the ability of the Mexican government to use the American aid package, though every roundup of corrupt officials raises more questions. But because the United States market is the chief reason why Mexico has such major drug organizations and because the flow of illegal guns south makes those drug gangs so well armed, the United States is not an idle bystander in this war. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin