Is Mexico's New President Willing To Deal With The Cartels

PRI candidate Enrique Pena Nieto is the favourite to win the presidential vote on July 1 [Reuters]

Is Mexico's War On Drugs Over? -- David Usborne, The Independent

An exhausted nation is set to elect a leader willing to deal with the cartels – and the US isn't happy. David Usborne reports from Mexico City.

Julia Fuertes digs into her handbag to retrieve a pair of earrings she has made at home. Simple circles of coloured card, they are adorned with photographs of a dashing man cut from celebrity magazines. He looks like an Mexican soap star, except that one day soon he might be running this country.

We are at a rally in a cavernous convention centre in the Santa Fe district of Mexico City for Enrique Peña Nieto, the candidate of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, PRI, in Sunday's presidential election.

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My Comment: The conflict in Mexico is primarily between the cartels .... not the cartels against the Mexican government. And while the military does conduct operations against the cartels .... the real bloodshed is between different groups battling for control of the drug routes to the U.S.. So .... will a new Mexican President make a difference .... probably not. But by avoiding the fight and holding back law-enforcement .... there is a good chance that the conflict may instead escalate .... and the bloodshed only becoming worse for the simple reason that it will be cartels ruling the streets .... and not the law.

Is Mexico Winning The Drug War?

Zakaria: Is Mexico Winning The Drug War? -- CNN

The drug wars dominate the discussion in Mexico and in many border states in America as well. There have been nearly 50,000 drug-related killings in Mexico since President Felipe Calderón began his six-year term. That's more than twice as many civilian deaths in the same period in Afghanistan.

Calderón is widely viewed as having blundered in taking on the drug cartels. But I have always admired his courage in doing so. And it might just be paying rewards.

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My Comment: Mexico's drug cartel war is a war .... and all wars take a long time to run their course. But is Mexico winning the war .... they should as long as Calderon's successor continues the fight.

Mexico Is Not The New Colombia -- A Commentary

A police officer next to the bodies of several men killed by drug traffickers in Ciudad Juarez in April this year. Photo: Getty Images.

Why Mexico Is Not The New Colombia When It Comes To Drug Cartels -- L.A. Times

Comparisons took on a new urgency after a statement by Hillary Clinton, but a careful look at tactics, targets and the nature of the foe shows they're apples and oranges.

Reporting from Mexico City — Car bombs. Political assassinations. Battlefield-style skirmishes between soldiers and heavily armed adversaries.

Across big stretches of Mexico, deepening drug-war mayhem is challenging the authority of the state and the underpinnings of democracy. Powerful cartels in effect hold entire regions under their thumb. They extort money from businesses, meddle in politics and kill with an impunity that mocks the government's ability to impose law and order.

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My Comment: There is a lot of information in this article .... much of which I agree with .... on Mexico's drug cartel war and why it is not the same as Colombia's drug cartel war.

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Mexico's Instability Is A Real Problem -- A Commentary

From Wall Street Journal:

Don't discount the possibility of a failed state next door.

Mexico is now in the midst of a vicious drug war. Police officers are being bribed and, especially near the United States border, gunned down. Kidnappings and extortion are common place. And, most alarming of all, a new Pentagon study concludes that Mexico is at risk of becoming a failed state. Defense planners liken the situation to that of Pakistan, where wholesale collapse of civil government is possible.

One center of the violence is Tijuana, where last year more than 600 people were killed in drug violence. Many were shot with assault rifles in the streets and left there to die. Some were killed in dance clubs in front of witnesses too scared to talk.

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What If Mexico Loses Its Drug War? -- A Commentary

US - Mexico Border Crossing in Tijuana. Photo from Flickr

From Investors Business Daily Editorials:

Security: A new Pentagon forecast warns that Mexico is so embattled by drug lords it could rapidly collapse. The study says the only other state so threatened is Pakistan. This ought to be a wake-up call about U.S. priorities.

As the Obama administration moves into office, new faces at the national security establishment with fresh perspective and a few long memories will be a good thing. That's because the U.S. may be forced to shift national security resources toward Mexico, based on the grim possibility that it might not make it out of its drug war.

Vicious traffickers plaguing its border cities have a good chance of taking over the nation. If the worst happens, it will have major implications for the U.S. It's time to pay attention now.

In its assessment of worldwide security threats, known as the "Joint Operating Environment," or JOE 2008 report, the United States Joint Forces Command warns that Mexico and Pakistan face the possibility of a "rapid and sudden" collapse.

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