But this diverts attention from the us role in creating and sustaining the carnage. Drug wars in mexico while there are drug wars happening in many places of mexico, the u. The best books on the war on drugs five books expert. The mexican drug war originated by president felipe calderon began targeting drugrelated violence throughout the country. The united states, mexico, and the war on drugs in the trump. The mexican drug war also known as the mexican war on drugs. Without assistance from any major drug cartel, the xalisco boys came to. Deaths among military and police personnel are an estimated 7% of the total. It is the toxic mix of mexican drug cartels, unspeakable violence. It will never end with the strategy we have right now. Mexican drug war here lies a stale lifeless body after a drug cartel raids a small town, just south of the texas border.
Monterrey, nuevo leoni just learned that a friend of mine got his human rights violated by the mexican army, when he was grabbed off the street by a couple of soldiers, thrown into some dirty room, tied to a chair, stripped of his clothes and interrogated with the help of a friendly blowtorch. Ciudad juarez is ground zero for mexican president felipe calderons war against his countrys ruthless drug cartels. He has deployed 45,000 troops to 18 mexican states in an aggressive offensive against the cartels. Although violence between drug cartels had been occurring for three decades, the mexican government held a generally passive stance regarding cartel violence through the 1980s and early 2000s.
Alltoobrief overview of mexicos drug market and anti drug policieshandbook of latin american studies, v. How to end mexicos deadly drug war foundation for economic. This year i started reading books on this topic, the first one was. Reminds readers that mexico, a country with a relatively low level of domestic drug abuse, spends substantial portions of its police and military budgets combating drug traffic. Caro quintero and some mexican publications have said the son was involved in the drug trade and that his slaying was drugrelated, but the mexican army has declined to comment. Historically, there has been a large history of mexican drug cartels as they started to gain power in the early 1980s with one of the most famous of the drug lords, colombias pablo escobar.
But the violence was minimal compared to the bloodletting that has gone on since 2008, when, under pressure from president calderons allout offensive against them, the cartels turned on each other in a. The most outlandish stories from the drug war in mexico. When the mexican military began to intervene in 2006, the governments principal goal was to reduce drugrelated violence. The coming invasion of mexicos drug wars is a nonfiction book about the mexican drug war written by sylvia longmire, an independent consultant, freelance writer, and former air force captain. San pedro garza garcia, southwest of monterrey, backs up against the sierra madre oriental, 15 miles and a world away from that jewelry store. The mexican drug war is an ongoing battle taking place between the mexican government and the heavilyarmed drug cartels. Its not just that americans buy drugs from and sell weapons to mexicos murderous cartels. You dont rise to the top of a ruthless mexican drug trafficking outfit by being an overly nice guy. But theres strong evidence that federal forces there. For nearly a century, the united states and mexico have been engaged in operations to halt the production of drugs south of the border as well as their shipment to the united states, which is the worlds largest drug market.
It massively spikes in the 1920s during alcohol prohibition, then falls when alcohol is legalised, and only massively rises again with the huge intensification of drug. An overview of mexicos drug war it is difficult to say when mexicos drug war began. Guest blogger mark follman writes frequently about current affairs and culture at. Nov 18, 2009 a march 23 new york times story speculated that mexican drug gangs or their affiliates are now active in some 230 u. The victims stories intersected in that jewelry store, but the slaughter recorded on the videotape that day looks to have been rooted in a nearby town that believed itself immune from mexicos drug war. A march 23 new york times story speculated that mexican drug gangs or their affiliates are now active in some 230 u. Mar 24, 2009 guest blogger mark follman writes frequently about current affairs and culture at. Dec 08, 2016 the war on drugs doctrine is largely credited to president richard nixon, who created the drug enforcement administration dea in 1973 to declare an allout global war on the drug menace. Since 2006, when intervention with the mexican military began, the governments principal goal has been to. Aug 23, 2016 31 crazy narco instagram photos posted by mexicos most feared drug cartels.
When four people in a monterrey jewelry store were killed by gunmen who took nothing, few doubted that it was a message. Dec 17, 2014 the militarization of the mexican state, the psychological impacts of mexicos drug war on the mexican population, and the movement of drug cartels into central america could respectively endangers mexican democratization, produces a lost generation, and threatens the stability of the region as a whole. Inside mexico s criminal insurgency by ioan grillo, which i was and still am impressed by it, and at the moment im reading cartel. Jeffrey miron, a professor at harvard, does a brilliant graph in his book, drug war crimes, just looking at the murder rate in the united states through the twentieth century. In her book, longmire gives an overview of mexicos drug war and describes the impact it has on the united states national security. The victims stories intersected in that jewelry store, but the slaughter recorded on the videotape that day looks to have been rooted in a nearby town that believed itself immune from mexico s drug war. Mexico in the seconds before the gunmen burst into the tiny lozano garza jewelry store in this citys downtown, three shoppers browsed the display cases. When mexican president enrique pena nieto came to office in 2012, he brought a list with him. Mexicos government has been waging a war against the countrys drug cartels, whose territorial fights have left tens of thousands dead.
The drug war in mexico is one of the biggest events in narcotics history. But the violence was minimal compared to the bloodletting that has gone on since 2008, when, under pressure from president calderons allout offensive against them, the cartels turned on each other in a bloody fratricidal struggle, as well as. Warning thread 23 seconds of the mexican drug war might contain content that is not suitable for all ages. Money is not going to be enough to stop the drug wars though, america has to stop this. The final hour of drug wars investigates the mexican drug connection and how u. Below is an excerpt from time magazine published on 23 october 2011. A mexican soldier stands guard during the incineration of 5,835 lbs.
Over the holidays, i had the opportunity to read a new book about the drug war by johann hari. It would be more for amusement, peter hanna, a retired fbi officer who investigated mexican drug cartels, told the chronicle. Since 2006, approximately 120,000 people have been killed as a result of organized crime related to the mexican drug war. The timeline of some of the most relevant events in the mexican drug war is set out below. The mexican drug war for decades, mexican police and public officials, enticed by bribes or simply intimidated by cartels, ignored the countrys illegal drug trade. Drug trafficking was best known in michoacan, guanajuato and guerrero but it has recently spread across all of mexico. Until the entirety of north america opens a truly continental debate regarding the legalization of drugs. The raging drug war in mexico is about to command even greater attention inside the united states. His new novel, the cartel, reveals a new generation of cartel leaders that are more violent, more sadistic than ever before.
I dont see it as intimidation or a successful way to recruit people. Mexicos tales of bus passengers forced to fight to the. Following a recent highpowered drug war summit in mexico city, vanda felbabbrown assesses president calderons new, multifaceted strategy to combat mexico s powerful drug cartels. The mexican military first started to intervene in 2006 with the primary goal of ending the disastrous amount of drug related violence. Dispatches from inside the drug war by john gibler, which i taught was good, but a little short. Although violence between drug cartels had been occurring for three decades, the mexican government held a generally passive stance regarding. The mexican attorney generals office has claimed that 9 of 10 victims of the mexican drug war are members of organizedcrime groups, although this figure has been questioned by other sources. Confronting a shared threat thus provides a fresh look at one of the most important security threats in the western hemisphere and suggests recommendations for policy in. Since the 2006, the numbers of death related to organized crime increased rapidly and dramatically. The war on drugs in mexico is there an alternative.
Mar 11, 20 the hclus video advocacy team travelled to mexico in 2010 to film about the negative consequences of the war on drugs campaign that has been launched by president felipe calderon in 2006. The assassins shoot from the side and back unleashing bullets in split seconds. Dec 11, 2012 but the most outlandish drug story of 2012 from the mexican point of view, surely, would be the successful initiatives this november to legalize marijuana in colorado and washington state. Jul 15, 2015 novelist don winslow spent 10 years researching the mexican drug wars. It contained the names of 122 drug cartel leaders whom pena nieto wanted neutralized by the end of his time in office. But the most outlandish drug story of 2012 from the mexican point of view, surely, would be the successful initiatives this november to legalize marijuana in colorado and washington state. Monterrey, mexico multiple security cameras recorded three attackers as they mowed down a guard. In short, americas multibilliondollar demand for pot is fueling the mexican drug trade and much of the turf battles and carnage associated with it. Jun 21, 2012 the language in the headlines alonemexican drug war, mexican cartels, border violencedistort reality by emphasizing the bloodshed south of the border while downplaying the united. Confronting a shared threat thus provides a fresh look at one of the most important security threats in the western hemisphere and.
How the united states and mexico jointly created the mexican drug war carmen boullosa and mike wallace. Though drug trafficking flourished in mexico throughout much of the 20th century, the everincreasing brutal violence associated with the production and trafficking of illicit drugs had by 2009 sparked the dispersal of 45,000 mexican soldiers and 5,000 policemen across the country and attracted. The drug war in mexico confronting a shared threat council on. The hclus video advocacy team travelled to mexico in 2010 to film about the negative consequences of the war on drugs campaign that has been launched by president felipe calderon in 2006. The coming invasion of mexicos drug wars wikipedia. The autobiography of a mexican assassin by molly molloy, prayers for the stolen by jennifer clement, the fi. Novelist don winslow has spent 20 years chronicling the war on drug cartels south of the u. After mexicos president felipe calderon publicly declared war on drugs, a wave of grisly murders, kidnappings and shootouts followed. Kingdom of shadows, a pov documentary that comes out this. What novelist don winslow thinks of americas war on drugs pbs. A novel of the mexican war by jeff shaara, the training ground. Cartel and is known as the cradle of mexican drug smuggling. By clicking on continue you confirm that you are 18 years and over.
Money is not going to be enough to stop the drug wars though, america has to stop this problem at the root, which is the demand for these drugs. Mar 14, 2012 you dont rise to the top of a ruthless mexican drug trafficking outfit by being an overly nice guy. Mexican war on drugs and corruption sayaka fukumi asia university introduction the mexican government waging war on drugs was not a surprise, but what was striking is the death toll related to it. Mexicos drug war is no closer to an end geopolitical futures. Opinion judging the mexican drug war the new york times. Only keller and his obsessive quest to finally bring down adan barrera could complete the epic. Mexicos drug war has claimed more than 55,000 lives in less than six years.
Its important that all americans fully understand how the drug war in mexico affects them, their communities, and the rest of their country. Surveillance video, monterrey jewelry store shooting. Novelist don winslow spent 10 years researching the mexican drug wars. These books provide a range of opinions on a social issue. A game of thrones of the mexican drug wars, a multipart, intricately plotted, bloodsoaked epic. I lived in phoenix, az for 8 years and i had no idea how pervasive the mexican drug cartels are in that area. Mexico has been immersed in an irreversible drug war since 2006 and while the people. Alltoobrief overview of mexicos drug market and antidrug policieshandbook of latin american studies, v. Don winslow is to the mexican drug wars what james ellroy is to l. The drug war in mexico council on foreign relations. Argumentative essay on mexican drug war 1239 words 5 pages. Our guide to the most insightful books on mexicos everevolving conflict with cartels. The groups emerge, fracture and disintegrate in response to inter. The mexican war on drugs exists between the mexican government and drug trafficking organizations as well as other countries that are impacted by the mexican drug cartels.
Sep 04, 2016 mexicos government has been waging a war against the countrys drug cartels, whose territorial fights have left tens of thousands dead. Reporting from monterrey, mexico in the seconds before the gunmen burst into the tiny lozano garza jewelry store in this citys downtown. The following excerpt from the book is set in culiacan, capital. The language in the headlines alonemexican drug war, mexican cartels, border violencedistort reality by emphasizing the bloodshed south of. It implies that the ongoing bloodbath, which has now killed well over 100,000 people, is an internal mexican affair. An exclusive look inside mexicos drug war cbs news. In december of 2006 and still ongoing, the mexican drug war has resulted in the death of tens of thousands of individuals. To counter this, the authors focus on the key role that washington policymakers have played in creating and sustaining the violence south of the border.