President Calderon Is Serious About Restoring Law And Order. Here's How The U.S. Can Help. The tales of carnage coming out of Mexico are grim. Within the last two weeks, 72 migrants from Central and South America were massacred in the border state of Tamaulipas; the mayor of a small town, Hidalgo, was assassinated by the drug cartels; and a federal prosecutor disappeared, presumably kidnapped. The U.S. media point incessantly to the 28,000 drug-related homicides since President Felipe Calderon took office in December 2006. The Los Angeles Times describes the situation as "Mexico under siege." [continues 876 words]
Robert C. Bonner writing in the July/August issue of Foreign Affairs magazine: Mexico is in the throes of a battle against powerful drug cartels, the outcome of which will determine who controls the country's law enforcement, judicial, and political institutions. . . . Destroying [these] cartels is not an impossible task. Two decades ago, Colombia was faced with a similar-and in many ways more daunting-struggle. In the early 1990s, many Colombians, including police officers, judges, presidential candidates, and journalists, were assassinated by the most powerful and fearsome drug-trafficking organizations the world has ever seen: the Cali and Medellin cartels. Yet within a decade, the Colombian government defeated them, with Washington's help. The United States played a vital role in supporting the Colombian government, and it should do the same for Mexico. [continues 70 words]
