Mexican Federal policemen patrol the street to Ciudad Juarez, March 2, 2009. Nearly 4,000 Mexican soldiers and federal police poured into Ciudad Juarez in early March to restore law and order to the country's most violent city. (Daniel Aguilar/Reuters)

Sizing up Mexico's war on drugs

DiggThis

Opinion: The Mexican government might just be winning the war against narco-traffickers.

By Ruben Navarrette - Special to GlobalPost
Published: April 17, 2009 05:45 ET

SAN DIEGO — As parties to a complicated marriage born of an even more complicated history, Americans and Mexicans don’t always agree on much.

But, unfortunately, and in a most depressing way, many people on both sides of the border seem to agree on at least two things: (1) Mexican President Felipe Calderon is right to be battling those ruthless drug cartels in Mexico; and (2) it’s a match-up that Calderon is destined to lose.

About 70 percent of Mexicans surveyed in polls by Mexican newspapers support Calderon’s increasingly violent war against the cartels, which has resulted in nearly 8,000 deaths since January 2007. And yet, by roughly the same margin — 70 percent — Mexicans are also sure that the cartels can’t be defeated. This is typical Mexican fatalism and a willingness to give in to a challenge that seems too daunting to be tamed.

What is more disturbing is that many Americans — their famous “can do” spirit notwithstanding — seem to feel pretty much the same way. Granted, on this side of the border, the skepticism about how the Mexican drug war will turn out has a lot to do with perceptions of the U.S. drug war. For those who believe that the anti-drug initiative was a waste of time and money, they’re just as likely to think that Calderon is wasting his time and money — actually, make that his time and our money.

Congress has approved $1.4 billion in aid to Mexico, even though very little of it has made its way to the Calderon government. Most of the first installment — $400 million — got stuck in the bureaucratic pipeline, somewhere between Washington and Mexico City.

One person who could help unclog the pipeline and get the Merida funds flowing south is President Barack Obama. In his meeting Thursday with Calderon in Mexico City, Obama acknowledged that the United States must work with its neighbor to combat drug violence in both countries.

"It is absolutely critical that the United States joins as a full partner in dealing with this issue, both through initiatives like the Merida Initiative but also on our side of the border in dealing with the flow of guns and cash south," Obama said at a ceremony in Mexico City alongside Calderon.

Comments:

1 Comments.

Login or Register to post comments

Posted by dag on April 19, 2009 13:00 ET

No doubt, it's important that the horrific violence in Mexico be stemmed and the responsible parties brought to justice. But it is also important to be skeptical that the so-called 'War on Drugs' can ever be won. Throughout its expensive history the program has no record of success and suffers from a basic ignorance of economics.

It is basic to our understanding of economies that when the supply of something goes down, demand for it goes up. Thus, when government agents remove drugs from the marketplace (reducing supply), it only causes demand for the drugs to rise. And as demand rises, so do the drug prices. The more successful our drug-policing efforts, the more drug prices go up. And the more the prices go up, the more people there are who are ready and willing to get into the business of selling drugs.

Thus, it is an unwinable situation. Even if you were to shut down every cartel, every producer, every common drug pusher, and take 100% of the drugs off the streets – all this would do is create an enormous incentive for people to get into the business of selling drugs, and ever larger policing forces would be needed to stem the tide of entrepreneurs. The idea that you can overcome these basic economic tenets is foolhardy. However, it's exactly the idea we commit billions of dollars to each year. With drug violence raging and budget deficits rising, it is time to rethink the War on Drugs. Instead of continuing with the same old ineffective policies, we should look at alternatives that actually have a chance of working.

Recent on Mexico :

On Location: Sinaloa — The front lines of Mexico's drug war

Ioan Grillo and John Dickie - Mexico - February 4, 2010 09:13 ET

Mexico considers clamping down on Twitter

Michael E. Miller - Mexico - February 2, 2010 06:58 ET

Mexicans are using Twitter to avoid drunk-driving checkpoints. Drug cartels might be using it too. Does that justify restricting social networking sites?

Special Report

Thomas Mucha - Commerce - January 28, 2010 17:24 ET

20 correspondents, 20 countries and a world of pain. Meet the ground truth of the global economic crisis.

Mexico's brewing battle over abortion

Lauren Villagran - Mexico - January 27, 2010 19:56 ET

A debate over a woman's right to choose divides Mexico's capital from the countryside.

A touch of blarney in Mexico

Ioan Grillo - Mexico - January 4, 2010 06:37 ET

Free trade, foreign travelers and a new generation spark eclectic bar scene in the Mexican capital.

In Mexico's liberal capital, an uproar over gay marriage

Ioan Grillo - Mexico - January 2, 2010 09:46 ET

Conservative politicians are keeping quiet, but the Catholic Church is up in arms.

Drug cartels to Mexican businesses: pay up

Ioan Grillo - Mexico - December 17, 2009 13:42 ET

Criminals are carrying out widespread extortion rackets, insisting business pay up or face brutal repercussions.

Drug lord Arturo Beltran Leyva killed in Mexico

News Desk - Mexico - December 17, 2009 10:49 ET

GlobalPost joins the Mexican army on the front lines as it tracks down drug cartels.

Mexico goes green — or does it?

Michael E. Miller - Global Green - November 23, 2009 17:04 ET

President Calderon is trying to become a leader on climate change. But is it all for show?

Journalist murders in Mexico hit new record

Ioan Grillo - Mexico - November 23, 2009 10:55 ET

Censorship increases as killings become routine. "I don’t want to die young," says one reporter.

A Mexican cop in search of sanctuary

Todd Bensman - Mexico - November 15, 2009 09:34 ET

A Juarez cop fled to Texas after drug cartels attacked him. Will a judge send him back?

Mural makeover

John Enders - Mexico - November 12, 2009 16:50 ET

Mexico is restoring the murals of Diego Rivera — admirer of Lenin, friend of Trotsky and lover of Frida Kahlo.

On Location: Mexico City — Gangster chic

Ioan Grillo - Mexico - November 9, 2009 09:22 ET

Vigilante justice spreads across Mexico

Ioan Grillo - Mexico - October 28, 2009 05:39 ET

More Mexicans turn to the lynch mob as crime spirals out of control.

“Legalize it” lobby gains strength across Americas

Ioan Grillo - Mexico - October 20, 2009 05:26 ET

Mexico and other Latin American countries are moving toward drug decriminalization — and Washington isn't complaining.

Mexico’s "business class" refugees

Todd Bensman - Mexico - October 18, 2009 17:14 ET

Violence is pushing Mexican elites to buy their way to safety using a special class of U.S. visas available only to the rich.

Full Frame: Worshipping Saint Death

Brian L Frank - Full Frame - October 15, 2009 14:45 ET

A photographer visits Mexico's most notorious barrios, where death is the only truth in life.

Full Frame: Born behind bars

Caroline Bennett - Full Frame - October 15, 2009 14:44 ET

A photographic journey inside a prison where babies live with their incarcerated mothers.

A World of Trouble: Is the nightmare over?

Thomas Mucha - Commerce - October 14, 2009 13:35 ET

With signs of economic recovery finally emerging, here's where things stand in 20 countries around the world.