A Mexican Drug Cartel - FARC Alliance?

Mexican Drug Dealers Strengthen Ties To Colombia Terrorist -- Washington Examiner

Mexican drug cartels are strengthening alliances with a Colombian terrorist group that has engaged in a decades-long war to topple the U.S.-supported government in Bogota, intelligence officials said.

The cartels are aggressively negotiating with the Marxist guerrilla group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, better known as FARC for the purchase of "multiton quantities of cocaine directly from South America," said Michael Braun, former administrator and chief of operations at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

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My Comment: It is all about the drugs. Take the drugs out of the equation .... this will not even be an issue. Unfortunately .... our society's obsession for drugs will not decline, and government's options to combat this scourge are few and far between.

Mexico Drug Cartel War -- News Updates April 5, 2009

Customs and Border Protection officers stand by guns confiscated along the U.S.-Mexico border before a news conference with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego Wednesday, April 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

U.S. Aid Delays in Drug War Criticized -- Washington Post

MEXICO CITY -- After promising $1.4 billion last year under a landmark initiative to help fight drug trafficking in Mexico, the U.S. government has spent almost none of the money, fanning criticism on both sides of the border that the United States is failing to respond quickly to the deepening crisis.

In June, Congress appropriated $400 million to assist Mexico under the first installment of the Merida Initiative, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush. The three-year aid package was passed as an emergency measure because of deteriorating security in Mexico. In December, the State Department announced that $197 million had been "released."

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More News on Mexico's Drug Cartel War

11 bodies found in Mexico, some with torture signs -- AP
Narco wars leave trail of bodies across Mexico's southwest -- World War 4 Report
Cartel arrest raises Juárez alert level -- El Paso Times
Mexico, US boost ties on border security, immigration -- AFP
US, Mexico work together to fight drug cartels -- AP
State Department issues Mexico travel advisory -- Dallas News

Mexico's Drug Cartel War -- News Updates For April 3, 2009

Federal police officers escort alleged Mexican drug trafficker Vicente Carrillo Leyva, center, during his presentation to the media in Mexico City, Thursday, April 2, 2009. Carrillo Leyva, one of Mexico's most wanted drug suspects who allegedly was the second-in-command of the powerful Juarez cartel, was caught while exercising in a park in a posh Mexico City neighborhood early Wednesday, the Attorney General's office said Thursday. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

As Mexico Battles Cartels, The Army Becomes the Law -- Washington Post

Retired Soldiers Tapped to Run Police Forces

PETATLAN, Mexico -- President Felipe Calderón is rapidly escalating the Mexican army's role in the war against drug traffickers, deploying nearly 50 percent of its combat-ready troops along the U.S.-Mexico border and throughout the country, while retired army officers take command of local police forces and the military supplies civilian authorities with automatic weapons and grenades.

U.S. and Mexican officials describe the drug cartels as a widening narco-insurgency. The four major drug states average a total of 12 murders a day, characterized by ambushes, gun battles, executions and decapitated bodies left by the side of the road. In the villages and cities where the traffickers hold sway, daily life now takes place against a martial backdrop of round-the-clock patrols, pre-dawn raids and roadblocks manned by masked young soldiers.

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More News On Mexico's Drug Cartel War

US, Mexico work together to fight drug cartels -- AP
US Officials Meet With Mexicans to Quell Violence -- New York Times
Mexico, US to battle weapons traffic -- AFP
Little Progress as US, Mexico Discuss Drug Cartels and Arms -- Washington Post
Top US, Mexican officials meet on guns smuggling -- Christian Science Monitor
Bodies Hang From Mexico Overpass As Warning to Rival Drug Traffickers -- FOX News
Mexico says death toll from drug war is falling -- Reuters
Mexico Arrests No. 2 in Juarez Drug Cartel -- Los Angeles Times
Mexican drugs kingpin Vicente Carillo Leyva arrested - jogging in park -- Times Online
Mexico Arrests Drug Cartel Scion -- Wall Street Journal
Mexican Drug Cartel Suspect Caught in Park -- Associated Press
Mexico arrests suspected No. 2 in Juarez drug cartel -- Bloomberg
US Targets Gun Flows into Mexico -- Christian Science Monitor
Border Security to Get $400M Upgrade -- Associated Press
$400M earmarked for Mexico-U.S. border -- UPI
On the Borderline of Good and Bad -- Los Angeles Times
Drug war strikes blow to Mexican economy in crisis -- Reuters

Mexico Drug Cartel War News Updates -- April 2, 2009

Members of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement special response team wait by an armored personnel carrier before a news conference with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego Wednesday, April 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

As Mexico Battles Cartels, The Army Becomes the Law -- Washington Post

PETATLAN, Mexico -- President Felipe Calderón is rapidly escalating the Mexican army's role in the war against drug traffickers, deploying nearly 50 percent of its combat-ready troops along the U.S.-Mexico border and throughout the country, while retired army officers take command of local police forces and the military supplies civilian authorities with automatic weapons and grenades.

Read more ....

More News On Mexico's Cartel Drug War

Mexico steps up army aid to fight cartels -- UPI
Mexico's President Felipe Calderón orders deployment of 45,000 troops to US Border -- Gather News
Mexico reports arrest of major drug suspect -- Yahoo News/AP
Mexico arrests top drug cartel leader -- AFP
U.S. invests to keep arms smugglers out of Mexico -- Reuters
US to boost ports of entry along US-Mexico border -- Yahoo News/AP
Napolitano promises more agents at San Diego-area checkpoints -- L.A. Times
16 dead, 2 bodies chopped up, in latest Mexico violence -- AFP
Five Die in Drug-Related Violence in Mexico -- Latin American Herald Tribune
Mexico rules out joint border patrols with U.S. -- Reuters
Top US, Mexico officials to discuss drug cartels -- AP
Washington to boost Mexico drugs war aid -- Financial Times
Children traumatized by Mexico drug war killings -- Upstate Today

Mexico's Drug Cartel War -- News Updates March 30, 2009

Mexican Army soldiers on patrol in Reynosa, a border town. A cartel has hired a paramilitary force to protect its turf there. Adriana Zehbrauskas for The New York Times

In Drug War, Mexico Fights Cartel and Itself -- New York Times

REYNOSA, Mexico — An army convoy on the hunt for traffickers rolled out of its base recently in this border town under the control of the Gulf Cartel — and an ominous voice crackled over a two-way radio frequency to announce just that. The voice, belonging to a cartel spy, then broadcast the soldiers’ route through the city, turn by turn, using the same military language as the soldiers.

“They’re following us,” Col. Juan José Gómez, who was monitoring the transmission from the front seat of an olive-green pickup truck, said with a shrug.

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More News On Mexico's Drug Cartel War

Mexico drug violence "out of hand": Obama -- Yahoo News/AFP
Obama worried by spillover from Mexico drug fight - -Yahoo News/AP
Mexico rules out joint border patrols with U.S. -- Reuters
One Day of Violence in Mexico Leaves 15 Dead - AFP
AP IMPACT: With Mexico's army in the war on drugs -- AP
Human Smuggling Rings Drive Mexico Violence -- World Politics Review
Mexico: War Comes Closer to Home - Washington Times opinion
Mexico's Dinosaurs Exploit the Crisis - Wall Street Journal opinion
Mexico's War Must Be Our War - Los Angeles Times opinion
Mexico’s border -- La Opinion
Secure Borders at Last -- Human Events

With Mexico's Army In The War On Drugs

Soldiers patrol the streets of Reynosa, on Mexico's northeastern border with the U.S., Tuesday, March 17, 2009. Mexico has deployed thousands of soldiers and federal agents to drug strongholds as part of a nationwide crackdown on drug cartels since President Felipe Calderon took office in 2006. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)

From Yahoo News/AP:

REYNOSA, Mexico – Acting on a tip, 30 masked soldiers in combat gear bust down the door of a boarded-up house to find 55 terrified migrants, hostages of the Gulf drug cartel.

Amid screams and the smell of urine and sweat, they find a blood-spattered room and a nail-encrusted log used to beat the captives and extort money from their families: $3,000 each.

Five suspected kidnappers are hauled off in a military truck, including the alleged leader — the son of a local police officer.

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My Comment: And all of this is happening within driving distance of the U.S. border.

Mexico's Cartel Drug Wars -- March 27, 2009

Mexican police guard bricks of seized cocaine. Photo from The Examiner

U.S., Mexico to Intensify Fight Against Violent Drug Gangs -- Washington Post

MONTERREY, Mexico, March 26 -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday that Mexico and the United States had agreed to develop a "checklist" of tasks for both sides to intensify the fight against Mexican drug gangs engaged in a bloody turf war.

Speaking near the end of a two-day visit, Clinton said the list would include timelines committing the United States to speed up delivery of drug-fighting aid and getting Mexico to move faster on reforming its judicial and law enforcement institutions.

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More News On Mexico's Drug Cartel War

Hillary Clinton Wraps Up Mexico Visit, Calls Drug Violence 'Intolerable' -- Los Angeles Times
US Intelligence Chief: Mexico Will Not Become 'Failed State' -- Voice of America
Clinton Reassures Mexico About Its Image -- New York Times
Mexico wants more U.S. funds for drug battle: report -- Reuters
Secretary of State Clinton Confronts the Problems with Mexico and North Korea -- FOX News
Clinton Reassures Mexico About Its Image -- New York Times
Hillary Clinton wraps up Mexico visit, calls drug violence 'intolerable' -- L.A. Times
Hillary Clinton to Mexico: The US feels your pain -- Christian Science Monitor
Hillary Clinton and the Mexico Message -- Los Angeles Times editorial
Drugs and Reality -- Washington Post editorial
Drug violence: Views from Mexico -- BBC
US Intelligence Chief: Mexico Will Not Become 'Failed State' -- Voice Of America
Official: Mexico not in danger of collapse -- AP
U.S. Intelligence Chief: Mexico Will Not Fail -- Security Management
Terrorism and Drug Routes -- Threats Watch
Mainstream media blaming U.S. for Mexico's drug wars, U.S. citizens not buying it -- The Examiner

Mexico Drug Cartel War News -- March 25-26, 2009

Mexican soldiers near Miguel Alemán, on the Texas border. President Felipe Calderón has bolstered antidrug operations. Alexandre Meneghini/Associated Press

As Clinton Visits Mexico, Strains Show in Relations -- New York Times

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s economy is being dragged down by the recession to the north. American addicts have turned Mexico into a drug superhighway, and its police and soldiers are under assault from American guns. Nafta promised 15 years ago that Mexican trucks would be allowed on American roads, but Congress said they were unsafe.

United States-Mexican relations are in the midst of what can be described as a neighborly feud, one that stretches along a lengthy shared fence. That border fence, which has become a wall in some places, is another irritant.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrives in Mexico on Wednesday for what will be the first in a parade of visits by top administration officials, including President Obama himself next month, to try to head off a major foreign policy crisis close to home. They will find a country mired in a deepening slump, miffed by signs of protectionism in its largest trading partner, and torn apart by a drug war for which many in Mexico blame customers in the United States.

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More News On Mexico's Drug Cartel War

Mexico: The Next Iraq or Afghanistan? -- ABC News
Obama's Other War: Fighting Mexico's Drug Lords -- Time Magazine
U.S. plans 1-2 punch on drug cartels -- Houston Chronicle
Mexico's drug lords look south to Peru -- L.A. Times
Homeland Security Considers Using Guard Along U.S. - Mexico Border -- Infozine
US Stepping Up Response to Mexican Drug Violence -- Washington Post
Homeland Security Considers Using Guard Along US-Mexico Border -- AFPS
Violence-plagued Mexico sees hope in U.S. border plan -- Reuters
US to Send More Agents to Curb Border Violence -- Wall Street Journal
US Taking Steps to Control Violence on the Mexican Border -- New York Times
U.S. tightens security at Mexico border -- USA Today
US Orders Mexico Border Clampdown -- The Times
US Readies Plan for Drug Cartel Threat -- Washington Times
US Tightens Up Violent Mexican Border -- Christian Science Monitor
Mexican Drug Woes Worry Napolitano -- Washington Times
Senators: Obama border initiative good step, but insufficient -- CNN
White House Unveils Anti-cartel Effort for Border -- Associated Press
Clinton Visits Mexico As Cartel Crackdown Begins -- Washington Post
Clinton heads to Mexico for talks -- BBC
Clinton arrives in Mexico with US mea culpa -- AFP
Mexico Drug Cartels Recruit Child Assassins -- Daily Telegraph
Mexico arrests 'top trafficker' -- BBC
Mexico captures 1 of 37 'most-wanted' traffickers -- AP
Suspected drug lord arrested in Mexico -- CNN
US Embassy spills over onto Mexico City street -- AP
From the Brainroom: Drug Cartels -- FOX News
Mexican Journalist Says Drug Cartel Violence Forced Him to Seek Asylum in U.S. -- CNSNews

Mexico's Drug Cartel War News Updates -- March 24, 2009

Mexican soldiers stand by during the incineration of fourteen tons of drugs in Ciudad Juarez in 2008. President Barack Obama Tuesday announced extra agents for the southern US border and vowed to staunch narcotics demand as officials pledged full support for Mexico's battle against drug cartels. (AFP/File/Guadalupe Perez)

Obama Bolsters Mexico Border In New Drugs Strategy -- Yahoo News/AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) – President Barack Obama Tuesday announced extra agents for the southern US border and vowed to staunch narcotics demand, as officials pledged full support for Mexico's battle against drug cartels.

The White House vowed to stand "shoulder to shoulder" with Mexican President Felipe Calderon as his government confronts narcotics-linked violence that has claimed more than 1,000 lives so far this year.

"The president (Obama) is concerned by the increased level of violence ... and the impact it is having on both sides of the border," the White House said in a memo unveiling the new strategy.

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More News On Mexico's Drug Cartel War

Mexico drug violence prompts U.S. border crackdown -- Yahoo News/Reuters
US tightens up violent Mexican border -- Christian Science Monitor
US unveils plans to fight drug violence along Mexican border -- The Guardian
White House unveils plan to fight border drug cartels -- LA Times
Mexico Says Troops Cut Drug Deaths in Border City -- Reuters
Mexico Targets Top Drug Lords -- Associated Press
Mexico Offers $2-million Rewards for Top Drug Suspects -- Los Angeles Times
Mexico Offers $2m for Drug Lords -- BBC News
Mexico Rises on the US Agenda -- Wall Street Journal
As Mexico Goes, So Goes the US -- Christian Science Monitor editorial
The Mexican-American War of 2009 -- Washington Times editorial
The Mexican Evolution -- New York Times opinion
A Roadblock to Mexico -- Los Angeles Times editorial

Mexican Drug Cartel Violence Spills Over, Alarming U.S.

Police officers with the victims of a recent Tucson home invasion, one of more than 200 in the city in the last year. Chris Hinkle for The New York Times

Mexican Drug Cartel Violence Spills Over, Alarming U.S. -- New York Times

TUCSON — Sgt. David Azuelo stepped gingerly over the specks of blood on the floor, took note of the bullet hole through the bedroom skylight, raised an eyebrow at the lack of furniture in the ranch-style house and turned to his squad of detectives investigating one of the latest home invasions in this southern Arizona city.

A 21-year-old man had been pistol-whipped throughout the house, the gun discharging at one point, as the attackers demanded money, the victim reported. His wife had been bathing their 3-month-old son when the intruders arrived.

“At least they didn’t put the gun in the baby’s mouth like we’ve seen before,” Sergeant Azuelo said. That same afternoon this month, his squad was called to the scene of another home invasion, one involving the abduction of a 14-year-old boy.

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More News On Mexico's Drug Cartel War

Drug violence jumps the border -- USA Today
Mexico offers $2 million for top drug lords -- Yahoo News/AP
Drug Cartels Raise Stakes on Human Smuggling -- Los Angeles Times
Drug Wars Get Cabinet's Attention -- Wall Street Journal
Mexico drugs war: Scene of the killings -- BBC
Inside Mexico's most dangerous city -- KDBC News
Violence Follows Drug Cartels -- Tampa Bay Online
The Mexican Military's Role in Crime Ridden Border Cities -- Mexidata Info
Gangs: New Target in the War on Drugs? -- The Narcosphere
Clinton to address trade and turmoil in Mexico -- USA Today
US to announce Mexican border deployment -- AFP
Mexico: Failing State? -- National Journal

Mexico's Drug Cartel War -- News Updates For March 22, 2009

Image from the GC Advocate

Drug Cartels Buy Guns Deep Inside U.S. -- Washington Times

EL PASO, Texas | U.S. authorities say that as attention increases on gun running between Mexico and the United States along the border, the illegal trade is emanating from deeper in the United States.

"We're finding guns aren't just coming from [the] Southwest border," said William McMahon, deputy assistant director for field operations at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). "We're seeing hot spots farther north and east, too."

In 2007, guns recovered in Mexico were traced back to states including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Washington state, he said. Cartels are using long-established drug-smuggling routes that extend deep into the United States to secure and move weapons south, Mr. McMahon said.

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More News On Mexico's Drug Cartel War

US-Mexico Relationship Hits Some Bumps -- Los Angeles Times
U.S. steps up Mexican drug gang fight -- UPI
Mexican drug war spills over border to rival Iraq -- Sydney Morning Herald
Suspected drug cartel hitman arrested in Mexico -- AFP
Mexico Arrests Suspect in Attack on U.S. Consulate -- Latin American Herald Tribune
Southern exposure -- Houston Chronicle
U.S. State Department: A warning of violence in Mexico -- Philly.com
Drug crimes of little concern in the resort areas of Mexico -- Miami Herald
Supply, Demand, and the Mexican Drug War -- GC Advocate
Kidnapped by the Cartels -- Washington Post opinion

Mexico's Cartel Drug Wars -- News Updates March 21, 2009

Mexico Captures "Drug Lord" Accused Of U.S. Attack -- Yahoo News/Reuters

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Soldiers on Friday captured a man Mexico calls a drug kingpin who is accused of attacking a U.S. consulate and killing nine soldiers, in the second major arrest this week in the country's drug war.

President Felipe Calderon said soldiers seized Sigifredo Najera, a leader of the ruthless Gulf cartel, in the northern city of Saltillo near Texas.

"He is directly responsible for the torture and killing of the soldiers, the attacks on the U.S. consulate and Televisa (TV broadcaster) in Monterrey," Calderon said in a speech in the Mexican capital.

Mexico is facing brutal violence between rival drug gangs and the army in a battle that killed 6,300 people last year.

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More News On Mexico's Cartel War

Feds trying to derail Mexican drugs -- Houston Chronicle
Mexico captures "drug lord" accused of U.S. attack -- Reuters
Abuse allegations rise against Mexican army -- L.A. Times
Drug wars rage in Mexico; U.S. may send aid -- The Etownian
BORDER: US and Mexico can win the fight with drug cartels -- Star Telegram Opinion

Mexican Drug Wars Now Worse Than Iraq

A Mexican marine stands guard along the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana Photo: AP

From The Telegraph:

Mexican drug cartels are now as heavily armed as America’s enemies during the Iraq war and are extending their bloody conflict into the United States, say security experts.

Law enforcement agencies in American cities close to the border with Mexico — including San Diego in California, and El Paso in Texas — are “gearing up” for street confrontations with the drug gangs, which are armed with rockets and grenades and have brought death and chaos south of the border.

The confidence of the cartel chiefs has increased so much that they are moving to affluent neighbourhoods in America to kidnap Mexican businessmen and smuggle them across the border to be ransomed, a private security consultant told The Daily Telegraph.

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My Comment: And the U.S. Government wants to make the borders even more open under a new push for "immigration reform".

Figure that one out ....

Mexico's Drug War In The U.S.: 700 Abductions For Ransom In Phoenix In The Last Two Years

U.S. Mexico Border. (Photo from Trends Updates)

U.S. Moves To Beef Up Border Security -- Houston Chronicle

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration plans to deploy additional federal law enforcement agents to the U.S.-Mexico border to choke off southbound shipments of automatic weapons and cash drug proceeds that are fueling the Mexican cartels’ murderous resistance to Mexico President Felipe Calderon.

The early phases of a new border offensive already are under way in Texas where federal authorities have seized rifle barrels, firearms accessories and gunpowder in a tractor-trailer attempting to cross into Mexico at Pharr, weapons and ammunition hidden in a truck trying to enter Mexico from Laredo, and $3.2 million in suspected cartel cash shipments since March 1.

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My Comment: This is an astounding figure. 700 drug related abductions alone in the city of Phoenix in the past two years. I would love to know what are the figures nationwide .... I am sure that those stats are also astounding.

We now know that since a significant portion of the U.S. Federal prison population are related to this war and the transportation and distribution of drugs .... I can only assume that the victims from this trade must rise to the tens if not hundreds of thousands of people. Killings, injuries, threats, crimes committed to get money to buy drugs .... this total is in the millions.

As the deaths from Mexico's Drug Cartel war escalates, and fears along the border increases, I can assure you that this will kill any idea of immigration reform in the U.S, and it will also militarize the border regions.

Mexico's Drug Cartel War -- March 18, 2009

Scores of Mexican soldiers arrive at the Ciudad Juarez airport Friday. They were among 5,000 expected last weekend to take their turns patrolling the country's most violent city. Reuters

Senators Want To Fight Mexican Drug Cartels' Expanding Influence -- CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A bloody war between Mexican drug cartels is no longer solely a south-of-the-border problem, members of Congress said Tuesday at a hearing on the issue.

The violence accompanying those battles has crept into the United States, and is believed to largely be fueled by money and guns pouring over the border from America, said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois.

"The drugs are coming north, and we're sending money and guns south," said Durbin, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs. "As a result, these cartels have gained extraordinary power."

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More News On The Mexican Cartel War

US Efforts Against Mexican Cartels Called Lacking -- Washington Post
US Shares Blame in Mexico Drug Violence, Senators Say -- Los Angeles Times
US Lawmakers Consider Steps to Curb Mexican Drug Cartel Threat -- Voice Of America
US preparing integrated plan on Mexico drug war -- Reuters
Border Violence Hearing Cites U.S. Demand and Guns as Key Problems -- Washington Independent
Experts Say Mexican Organized Crime a Threat to U.S. Citizens -- Washington Post
'Surge' of Mexican troops leads to lull in drug-war violence -- USA Today
Mexico army 'surge' quells drug violence -- UPI
Drug cartels' new weaponry means war -- L.A. Times

Mexico's Drug Cartel War -- News Updates For March 14, 2009

Police officers drive past a burning police vehicle in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. In a three-week period, five grenade attacks were launched on police patrols and stations. Felipe Salinas / Associated Press

Drug Cartels' New Weaponry Means War -- L.A. Times

Narcotics traffickers are acquiring firepower more appropriate to an army -- including grenade launchers and anti-tank rockets -- and the police are feeling outgunned.

Reporting from Zihuatanejo, Mexico, and Mexico City -- It was a brazen assault, not just because it targeted the city's police station, but for the choice of weapon: grenades.

The Feb. 21 attack on police headquarters in coastal Zihuatanejo, which injured four people, fit a disturbing trend of Mexico's drug wars. Traffickers have escalated their arms race, acquiring military-grade weapons, including hand grenades, grenade launchers, armor-piercing munitions and antitank rockets with firepower far beyond the assault rifles and pistols that have dominated their arsenals.

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More News On Mexico's Drug Cartel War

Obama Says He Will Review Request for Guard on Border -- New York Times
Napolitano Targets Border Violence -- Wall Street Journal
Growing Drug Violence Shakes Mexico, Threatens to Spill Into US -- Voice Of America
Clinton to visit Mexico to discuss drugs, economy -- Reuters
Clinton Plans Talks in Mexico -- Los Angeles Times
Clinton to visit Mexico to support drug crackdown -- AP
Reputed Cartel Leader Makes Forbes Billionaire List -- MSNBC
Mexico angry that drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán on Forbes billionaires list -- El Paso Times
El Chapo: the narcotics king who made it into Forbes magazine -- The Guardian
Let Me Chew My Coca Leaves -- New York Times opinion

Money, Guns, & Drugs: What's Fueling The Violence In Mexico

Weapons used in crimes are displayed at a crime lab in the border city of Ciudad Juarez March 3, 2009. REUTERS/Tomas Bravo

From Counter Terrorism Blog:

Drug related violence is nothing new to Mexico, but the intensity and duration of hostility currently ongoing in Mexico is unmatched by any experienced in the past. Why? Because President Calderon and his Administration had the courage to admit that the Mexican drug cartels had become so powerful that they challenged the authority of the Mexican government at all levels, and were becoming more powerful than their government’s security institutions. The cartels had successfully destabilized democratic governance and eroded political stability, which is exactly what they had worked hard to achieve for many years.

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My Comment: This post from Counter Terrorism Blog is a must read.

Mexico's Drug Cartel War -- March 13, 2009

With .50-caliber rifle in the foreground, Tom Diaz, senior policy analyst, Violence Policy Center, right, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 12, 2009, before the House National Security and Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing on U.S.-Mexico border violence. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

National Guard Called Last Resort At Border -- Houston Chronicle

Homeland Security official outlines plans for dealing with violence

WASHINGTON — A top Homeland Security official told Congress Thursday that National Guard troops will intervene on the U.S.-Mexico border only as a “last resort” to combat drug violence.

Roger T. Rufe Jr., the Homeland Security Department’s head of operations, outlined still evolving contingency plans for dealing with the violence, one day after President Barack Obama said “we’re going to examine whether and if National Guard deployment would make sense.”

The violence between Mexican drug gangs fighting for trafficking routes to the U.S. killed about 6,000 people in Mexico last year, including more than 500 police and soldiers. Some American officials, including Texas Gov. Rick Perry, have demanded that the federal government send troops to reinforce local law officers.

Read more ....

More News On Mexico's Drug Cartel War

Feds bolster agents on border with Mexico -- USA Today
U.S. may deploy troops if Mexico border violence escalates -- L.A. Times
US Evaluating Mexican-Border Issue -- Wall Street Journal
Obama Considers Deploying National Guard to US-Mexico Border -- U.S. Department Of Defense
Will Obama Send National Guard To U.S.-Mexico Border? -- NPR
US Plans to Combat Mexico Drugs -- BBC News
Mexico's Powerful Drug Cartels May Be Joining Forces -- FOX News
Mexico drug cartels buying public support -- L.A. Times
Frontlines of Criminal Insurgency: Understanding the Plazas -- Group Intel

Obama: Troop Move To Mexican Border Under Consideration

From McClatchy:

WASHINGTON — President Obama weighed in Wednesday on the escalating drug war on the U.S.-Mexico border, saying that he was looking at possibly deploying National Guard troops to contain the violence but ruled out any immediate military move.

"We're going to examine whether and if National Guard deployments would make sense and under what circumstances they would make sense," Obama said during an interview with journalists for regional papers, including a McClatchy reporter.

"I don't have a particular tipping point in mind," he said. "I think it's unacceptable if you've got drug gangs crossing our borders and killing U.S. citizens."

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More News On Mexico's Cartel War

Obama says no U.S. troops needed yet at Mexican border -- Dallas News
Fears in U.S. drug war will destabilize Mexico -- San Francisco Chronicle
Escalating Drug War on US-Mexico Border Alarms Obama -- Digital Journal
U.S. drug czar named as Mexico drug war worsens -- Reuters
As Mexico's drug wars rage, Obama lowers U.S. drug czar's job -- L.A. Times
The Drug War: An Old Mission for the Pentagon -- MWCNews
Obama takes on the Mexican drug cartels -- First Post
The drug war next door -- USA Today opinion

Mexico's Cartel War -- March 10, 2009

A Mexican Federal Police agent patrols the streets of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico during an anti-narcotic operation on March 5, 2009. Mexican President Felipe Calderon's sweeping war on violent drug cartels can succeed despite soaring levels of deadly violence resulting from the campaign, a top US official said Tuesday. (AFP/File/Jesus Alcazar)

Progress In Mexico Drug War Is Drenched In Blood -- Yahoo News/AP

MEXICO CITY – Headless bodies in Tijuana, kidnapped children in Phoenix and shootouts on the streets of Vancouver: These are the unwanted byproducts of progress in the Mexican drug war.

While the headline-grabbing chaos creates the appearance of a drug trade escalating out of control, evidence suggests Mexico's cartels are increasingly desperate due to a cross-border crackdown and a shift in the cocaine market from the U.S. to Europe.

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More News On Mexico's Cartel Wars

House considers money for border, Mexico drug war -- AP
Lawmaker challenges border security priorities -- AP
Chairman, President Discuss US Support to Mexico -- U.S. Department Of Defense
Dozens Arrested in Tijuana Raid -- Los Angeles Times
Mexico: Ex-officer Fights Deportation, Death -- Washington Times
Police among latest victims of Mexico violence -- MSNBC/AP
General: Drug cartels linked to terrorism -- Middle East Times
Narcotics traffickers threaten Mexico and U.S. -- Family Security Matters
Did North American Free Trade Deal Cause Mexico’s Drug War? -- Fox News opinion