Mexico falling, and our addictions

Posted By Thomas E. Ricks Thursday, February 26, 2009 - 9:45 PM Share

The most interesting news story of the day is that the governor of Texas wants to deploy 1,000 National Guard troops to the Mexican border. I am not sure where this situation is going, but it is the kind of thing that can come out of left field and upset all our plans for our ongoing wars elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the Mexican government also says it is sending troops to the border area, apparently to re-take parts of the city of Juarez, where, according to Reuters, more than 250 people have been killed in drug violence this month. "We aren't going to give up an inch of the city," vowed Interior Minister Fernando Gomez Mont. Kind of reminds me of the recent comments of the Pakistani government about Swat. The difference, of course, is that Swat is near Afghanistan, while Juarez is across the river from the west Texas town of El Paso.

As I've mentioned, my son moved out of Mexico earlier this year because of the violence in the capital. It all kind of reminds me of Sam Peckinpah.

There is a weird analogy between Pakistan and Mexico. In both places, American addictions -- to oil and to drugs -- have helped fund those who are destabilizing those countries. The Pakistan connection is generally less direct -- I am thinking of Saudi Arabian funding of extremists.

BarelyFitz/Flickr

EXPLORE:AFGHANISTAN, DRUGS & CRIME, MEXICO

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ANON_ANON

2:03 AM ET

February 27, 2009

A good analogy I wouldn't have thought of

I guess that's why you own the blog, and I merely post. Perhaps the next question: is it possible that Mexico could experience (another) civil war? Tom, since you're now at our beck-and-call, could you ask your sources whether NSC-level principals are planning for this eventuality, and if so, what these plans entail?

Thanks,
A random reader

WALKING WOUNDED

5:25 PM ET

February 27, 2009

The Saudi connection...

Oil and cash funded AQ Kahn's search for Allah's bomb, the ultimate hard drug for salafist power junkies.

Arabia's 'no nuclear weapons in the Kingdom' non-denial is as masterful a bit of nuclear opacity as anything at Dimona.

Arabia's theater ballistic missile force is dispersed, hard-sited, nuclear capable, and too imprecise to justify billions for the 1000 Kg dumb warheads listed with Jane's.

http://geimint.blogspot.com/2009/02/saudi-arabias-ballistic-missile-force.html

WALKING WOUNDED

2:45 PM ET

February 27, 2009

click...

i hate it when that happens.
Like deja vu all over again.

TOMMC

7:15 AM ET

February 27, 2009

Correlation does not equal Causality but...

In the Recovery Movement such as Alcoholics Anonymous addictions (whether it be food, drugs, sex, etc.) are considered a Spiritual Disease and much of the literature suggests that a fear of death is the root of all addictions. I write this because over the last several decades the United States has become more secular. At the same time there has been a rise in drug abuse in the United States which judging by the story above is reaching the level of becoming an ever increasing national security concern. Keeping in mind that correlation does not equal causality I consider it plausible that one of the key drivers of our ever increasing addictions to drugs is our nations ever increasing secularism. Therefore, I think it's plausbile that the trend toward secularism is in fact a national security threat. Just a thought.

FNORD

2:38 PM ET

February 27, 2009

for some real live comments..

See the Exiles correspondent from Mexico at http://exiledonline.com/dispatch-from-mexico-calling-bullshit-on-gringo-travel-advisories/

Its a major insurgency all right, the zetas rule the night.

ROKDROP

10:21 PM ET

February 28, 2009

Deploying More Mexican Soldiers May Not Be A Good Thing

Ever since the first batch of Mexican soldiers was deployed to Juarez the number of killings in the city has actually increased and human rights groups fear the military will be complacent in even more human rights violations:

As an additional 5,000 Mexican soldiers deploy to quell the violence in Juárez, a Mexican civil-rights official told a UTEP forum Thursday evening that the military is involved in unlawful detentions, torture and other abuses while failing to stop the killings.

"For me, the de facto suspension of individual rights is a situation much more grave than the war among cartels," said Gustavo de la Rosa Hickerson of the Chihuahua State Human Rights Commission.

The army has detained 3,000 people in Juárez, holding some from 12 hours to 15 days without arrest orders, and has tortured detainees with beatings and electric shocks and by placing them in freezers, de la Rosa Hickerson said.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/juarez/ci_11796634

Then you throw in the fact that the Zetas the most violent drug gang is composed of many former soldiers it is easy to understand why the people in Juarez have no confidence in the military.

Likewise in El Paso city leaders do not like Governor Perry's idea of deploying US soldiers either:

Other officials at the news conference included Mayor John Cook, state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, Texas Homeland Security Director Steve McCraw, El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen and former U.S. drug czar Barry McCaffrey.

Shapleigh, who called his own news conference later, said he agreed with some of Perry's proposals but not with using the military to guard the border.

"No one in El Paso supports militarization of the border," Shapleigh said. "I support 1,000 new effectively trained Border Patrol or customs agents, but not the use of the military."

http://www.elpasotimes.com/juarez/ci_11779431

It seems to me that hiring more border patrol agents that specialize in border security would be the way to go instead of rotating US Army soldiers to the border with limited training in such a mission.

KRISH

9:33 PM ET

March 1, 2009

a job for Blackwater!

I don't know why Calderon is STIRRING the POT! Soon, Blackwater will be on Mexico's guv payroll!