Violence in Mexico Literature Review

Writing this behemoth of a paper was arguably the most time consuming assignment ever! Luckily, my efforts were well spent on this gem  as I was handsomely rewarded with a generous grade. This assignment has taught me a great deal about Felipe Calderon, how the drug war escalated to its present state, and how closely intertwined the Mexican Government and Drug Cartels are. I hope you enjoy my paper as much as I did writing it.

Violence in Mexico: Literature review

Pedro Torres

University of Texas at El Paso
Abstract

            There is a massive war taking place in the streets of Mexico. Inside of this literature review many articles relating to the Mexican drug war are thoroughly assessed. The result of this review has led to the answer of what role the U.S. plays in Mexico’s drug war, how the drug cartels came to the power they have now, how Mexico’s federal police and military are addressing the drug violence on the streets, and finally how are the Mexican civilians responding to this drug war. A confession of an official U.S. federal agent has unquestionably tied Americans to smuggling guns across the border to Mexico. The ineffectiveness of the Mexican police and military has been directly connected to many cases of bribery and corruption. And the economic success of the drug cartels points towards massive U.S. drug consumption.

Violence in Mexico: Literature review

The Mexican government previously would turn a blind eye towards the drug cartels. However, all that changed when Mexican president Felipe Calderón took office and launched a full blown war against drugs in 2006. To follow up on his plan a force of about six thousand troops were sent into the Mexican state of Michoacán to combat the drug cartels. “The operation is the first major offensive against drug gangs by President Felipe Calderon” (Grillo, 2006). Considered today as the commencement of the Mexican drug war, the consequences of this attack led to “An escalation of drug-related assassinations, kidnappings, and other violent crimes” (Ford, 2009). This drug violence has claimed the lives of many innocent bystanders, journalists, police, and soldiers.

1.      What role does the U.S. play in Mexico’s drug war?

2.      How did the drug cartels manage to amass such power?

3.      How effective are Mexico’s federal police and military at addressing the drug violence on the streets?

4.      How are the Mexican civilians responding to this drug war?

The aim of this review of literature is to demystify any preconceived notions one may have about the Mexican drug war. Through the correlation of the U.S. involvement in the drug war, analysis on the drug cartels rise to power, investigation of the effectiveness of the Mexican police and military, and inquiry of the civilians’ perspective on this whole ordeal, one will leave with the answers to the issues’ quintessential questions.

What role does the U.S. play in Mexico’s drug war?

Mexican officials are keen to point out that the issue originates from the United States. It is generally accepted that “The U.S. consumes drugs produced or shipped through Mexico” (Adler, 2009). Given their proximity, the U.S. is undeniably their largest consumer of drugs. Thanks to complicated network of connections, drugs are cheap and bountiful across the states. American drug usage is what empowers the Mexican drug cartels with vast amounts of capital. “The cartels post profits of $14 to $25 billion every year” (Adler, 2009). These kinds of profits are impossible without the aid of wealthy American drug users.

Mexico’s gun laws are very strict and make it very hard for citizens to own firearms. Why is it, that drug cartel members are armed to the teeth with grenades, fully-automatic machine guns, and high powered .50 caliber rifles? The culprit is the U.S. relaxed gun laws. While most gun buyers must wait a week then pass a background check there is a loophole that skips these checks. “Many of these firearms came from gun shops and gun shows in Southwest border states, such as Texas, California, and Arizona” (Ford, 2009). During gun shows, weapons are sold on the spot to anybody that has the cash at hand, allowing for practically anyone to purchase guns and trade them for narcotics.

The U.S. federals orchestrated a nefarious scheme to find where the guns were going. In a recent article Federal agent John Dodson confessed he was “intentionally letting guns go to Mexico” (Attkisson, 2011). The purpose of neglecting these transactions was to follow the movement of these firearms, locate their intended destination, and eliminate the drug cartel in possession of the weapons. “The gun walking strategy was approved all the way up to the Justice Department” (Attkisson, 2011). Now there is no denying that U.S. played a role in the trafficking of guns that are being used by the drug cartels of Mexico. This whole ordeal was actually videotapes by the alcohol, tobacco and firearms bureau. The sad part is that thousands of “weapons are still out there and will be claiming victims on both sides of the border for years to come” (Attkisson , 2011).It is clearly evident that the U.S. is involved in supplying weapons to the many drug cartels.

This map illustrates the path the firearms travel. Texas is the prime state to smuggle guns into Mexico. Due to Texas’ relaxed gun laws drug cartels take advantage of this and move thousands of firearms into Mexico.

How did the drug cartels manage to amass such power?

The drug cartels have been around long before Felipe Calderon’s war on drugs. However, the fact that the cartel actions were left ignored for this period of time allowed for their growth. Small bands of thugs were unacknowledged by the police and continued to peddle their drugs and traffic them to the U.S. for the most part unopposed by the police. The logic behind this movement was to allow the drug cartels to fight amongst themselves and have them eventually dissolve one another. “Over time, the balance of power between the various cartels shifts as new ones emerge and older ones weaken and collapse” (Burton, 2007) .This is not always true  as several cartels have formed pacts and alliances with each other in order to maintain their strongholds and broaden their territories. The problem is that “cartels are large, intricate crime syndicates often made up of supporting alliances of smaller cartels” (Burton, 2007).  As the leaders of big cartels are eliminated, many other members are eager to replace them. The vicious regeneration and sophisticated organization of members is what make them hard to beat.

Drug cartels have tapped into a mostly unregulated market in which nobody has complete control over. “Mexico’s role as a drug-trafficking hub has been growing for some time, but its grip on the $400-billion-a-year trade has strengthened” (Bachlet, 2005). There is a great deal of money to be made by the drug cartels. All of this revenue is providing drug cartel leaders like Joaquín “El chapo” Guzman with airplanes, firearms, and more money for drugs. With this tremendous wealth at their disposal, bribing cops and recruiting new members are relatively easy feats. In fact “Mexican military…provide protection for the traffickers and drug gangs” (Kouri, 2007). With the help of corrupt soldiers it’s easy to transport tons of drugs across the border. A combination of cartel alliances, corrupt police, corrupt military, and huge drug profits has propelled the drug cartels to the powerful state they are in now.

How effective are Mexico’s federal police and military at addressing the drug violence on the streets?

While the Mexican government faces harsh opposition from drug cartels more and more troops are being recruited into the war against drugs. The brave men that have enlisted in the Mexican military have been starting to desert their own country. “From January to September last year, 4,956 soldiers deserted” (Hawley, 2008). These poor overworked men are thousands of miles away from their families and are paid “an average of $533 a month” (Hawley, 2008) for their dangerous job. That is why many soldiers desert and join the ranks amongst the wealthy drug cartels that pay them more in order to sustain their families. “Soldiers are facing more incentive to switch sides because of Calderón's decision to use troops against the drug traffickers” (Hawley, 2008). Not all of the soldiers are in full agreement with Calderón’s ambition and are willing to place their lives in danger. The troops constantly “Find themselves outgunned, overwhelmed and often purchased outright by gangsters” (Althaus, 2010). Given these predicaments it would be increasingly palatable for soldiers to desert the military and switch sides. Even the most dedicated and loyal troop would cave in to the tremendous opposition the drug cartels pose.

The Federal police work diligently to eradicate the violence. However many police agents fall prey to bribes and turn corrupt. “City cops killing their own mayors; state jailers helping inmates escape; federal agents mutinying against corrupt commanders; outgunned officers cut down in ambushes or assassinated because they work for gangster rivals” (Althaus, 2010). Those are just a few scenarios of how the police corruption has drastically hindered the efficiency of the Mexican police force. However, these acts have not gone unnoticed “As a result, Mexican officials fired a tenth of the federal police force” (Althaus, 2009).  One of the main problems in the police force is that many corrupt police self-sabotage their department. How can conflicted police ever hope to combat the drug cartels when the police infrastructure is filled with corruption from within? Nobody bats an eyelash because, “Anyone who sticks their head up, wanting to make a change, is eliminated” (Althaus, 2009). The money “$100 million each month to local and state cops” (Althaus, 2009) helps the drug cartels freely move about and do their bidding. The deep rooted corruption in the police force has rendered them ineffective at combating the drug cartels.

How are the Mexican civilians responding to this drug war?

The most important aspect of the drug war is how the civilians cope with drug violence. “Many Mexicans have long shrugged off the violence shaking their country by telling themselves it only affects those involved in the narcotics trade and corrupt law enforcement officers” (Althaus, 2008). This rationalization has made the civilians feel safe however, now an increasing number of innocent civilians are being affected by the drug violence. Defenseless citizens are subject to murder, kidnappings, extortions, and robberies. Many of these crimes committed by drug cartel member go unsolved. 

            In the preliminary study done by the author a survey was created, pertaining to the ongoing drug violence in Mexico. A total of seven correspondents participated in this survey. The Author wanted to gain some insight as to what the locals thought about the issue. Therefore most of the questions were about, how living so close to the drug war has affected the participants’ outlook on the violence. More than half 57.1% of the correspondents’ families have been affected in some form by the drug war. The same percentile also agreed that the Mexican government is failing at eradicating the violence. When the question of the United States involvement in Mexico’s drug war arose, 85.7% of the participants agreed that the U.S. is to blame for the drug war. The same percentile also agreed that the main factor empowering the Mexican drug cartels was the U.S. drug demand. This survey has aided and guided the research of the drug war in Mexico.

Conclusion

It’s been 5 years since Calderón declared war on the drug cartels. “Nearly 35,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence since late 2006” (Miglierini, 2011). With sophisticated weaponry from the U.S. the drug cartels have managed to fend off the Mexican police and military. And with the drug cartels’ tremendous economic success they have managed to bribe the police and military to deflect and join their cause. Many civilians have suffered through the worst this drug war has had to offer. Such actions demand the immediate attention of the U.S. considering they supplied the cartels with guns and cash. It is imperative that the drug cartels responsible for the violence be removed from the streets of Mexico. Only then will the great nation be restored to its former glory.

References

Adler, J. (2009). America's role in mexico’s drug war. Retrieved from http://www.newsweek.com/2009/12/07/america-s-role-in-mexico-s-drug-war.html

Althaus, D. (2008, July 14). Violence hitting mexico's civilians. Houston Chronicle

Althaus, D. (2010). Mexico’s plague of police corruption. Retrieved from http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/7251246.html

Attkisson , S. (2011). Agent: I was ordered to let u.s. guns into mexico. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/03/03/eveningnews/main20039031.shtml

Bachlet, P. (2005). Mexico now top supplier of u.s. drugs. Miami Herald, Retrieved from http://www.amren.com/mtnews/archives/2005/08/mexico_now_top.php

Burton, F. (2007). Mexico: the price of peace in the cartel wars. Stratfor, Retrieved from http://www.stratfor.com/mexico_price_peace_cartel_wars

Ford, J.T. (2009). United States Government Accountability Office, International Affairs and Trade. Firearms trafficking u.s. efforts to combat arms trafficking to mexico face planning and coordination challenges (GAO-09-709). Washington, DC:

Grillo, I. (2006). Mexico cracks down on violence. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Retrieved from http://www.seattlepi.com/national/295578_mexico12.html

Hawley, C. (2008). Mexico cartels post 'help wanted' ads. USA TODAY, Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-04-24-mexicocartels_N.htm

Kouri, J. (2007). Mexican government corruption fuels drug problem. Retrieved from http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/kouri/070118

Miglierini, J. (2011). Crunching numbers in mexico's drug conflict. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12194138