Pubdate: Sat, 14 Aug 2010
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Copyright: 2010 The Washington Post Company
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/mUgeOPdZ
Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491

THE U.S. IS TURNING AWAY FROM MEXICO'S FAILING DRUG WAR

GIVE MEXICAN President Felipe Calderon credit for honesty as well as 
courage. Last week he presided over a three-day public conference to 
assess the results of nearly four years of war against Mexico's drug 
cartels. Most of the facts were grim:

- -- According to the chief of the national intelligence service, 
28,000 people have died violently since Mr. Calderon deployed the 
Mexican army against the drug gangs in December 2006. That number 
represents an increase of 3,000 over the death toll the government 
reported earlier this summer.

- -- There have been 963 incidents involving federal forces and the 
gangs since the offensive began -- or just about one per day.

- -- Mexican authorities have seized more than 84,000 weapons, 
including thousands of high-powered assault rifles, grenades and 
other military-caliber equipment. More than 80 percent of the guns 
whose provenance could be traced came from the United States.

- -- The ferocity of the violence continues to escalate as drug gangs 
import the tactics of al-Qaeda and the Taliban. To kidnappings, 
beheadings and massacres of innocent civilians and even children can 
now be added car bombs -- two of which have been detonated in 
northern cities in the past few weeks.

Mr. Calderon bluntly spelled out the threat the cartels represent to 
Mexico. "The behavior of the criminals has changed and become a 
defiance to the state, an attempt to replace the state," he said. 
Drug lords are collecting their own taxes from businesses in some 
areas. According to the secretary of public security, they are 
spending $1.2 billion a year to buy the allegiance of 165,000 police officers.

Preventing the sort of cartel takeover that Mr. Calderon warned of is 
a vital interest of the United States -- which is why the Obama 
administration and Congress could benefit from their own 
truth-telling session about Mexico. Congress has appropriated $1.3 
billion since 2008 to help Mexico fight drug trafficking, but because 
of poor implementation and bureaucratic delays, only a fraction of 
the money has been spent. Mexican forces are still waiting for badly 
needed U.S. helicopters, surveillance planes and drones as well as 
training programs in areas such as money laundering.

Worse, the Obama administration has shrunk from the duty of cracking 
down on the illegal trafficking of guns to Mexico, including improper 
sales by many of the 7,000 gun shops along the border. During his 
last visit to the United States, in May, Mr. Calderon pleaded with 
the White House and Congress to reinstate the ban on sales of assault 
weapons. As so often when it comes to the needs of this important 
neighbor, there has been no response.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom