Mexico: Denying the Obvious Much more at the link.
Ask these questions. At what point do frequent and periodic border incursions constitute a violation of US sovereignty? At what point does the instability in Mexico become a direct threat against American citizens? How many Americans will have to die before our federal government takes serious action along the Texas-Mexico border? And finally, how long does the federal government delay before violence against American citizens on American soil constitute an act that prompts more proactive actions than stating that “it continues to support Mexico’s fight against ruthless gangs smuggling narcotics into the United States.”
Quite obviously, we are fighting a war against terrorists worldwide. Regardless of what you call it, al Qaeda’s form of terrorism is an aggressive force on multiple fronts around the globe. More recently, American citizens influenced or motivated by some “need” have become another focus of terrorism concern. Yet, while we are working, fighting and dying to establish security and stability in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mexican President Calderone’s policies to control and combat the narcotics violence on/near or across our border appear to be ineffective and as some people believe, failures. Ask when (not if), it will fall to the United States to defend itself from continued incursions by the criminal and violent elements in Mexico?
Earlier this week, Texas Governor Perry deployed Texas military helicopters to begin patrolling the border as part of his Spillover violence contingency plan in response to the latest incursion by Mexico in the United States.
“As violence escalates in Mexican border cities, it’s critically important for Texas, U.S. and Mexican law enforcement to communicate and appropriately coordinate our efforts to combat border crime and protect legitimate cross-border trade and travel…
[continued]
…”The helicopter incursion and uptick in violence in Mexican border communities underscore the urgent need for more U.S. law enforcement and surveillance along the Texas-Mexico border. I once again urge our federal government to add personnel and technology along the Texas-Mexico border to prevent spillover violence here and to combat drug cartels operating in the border region.”
It’s been pretty obvious for awhile that (you should pardon the expression) things are going south in Mexico. The problem on the USA side: it seems to be politically difficult for the state governments or federal government to do anything really effective.
But with the best will in the world, massive political courage, and brilliant, keen insight into the problems, it’s hard to know what the USA can do, short of invasion, to “fix” the problems in Mexico itself. (Please don’t leave comments that assume I’m serious about “invading.”) The point is that Mexico IS Mexican, and they will have to find their way. I suppose at some point a UN Peacekeeping force may be necessary, composed exclusively of troops from somewhere other than the USA, of course, to stifle cries of “invasion.”
I”m sure the Russians, Chinese, Cubans, Venezuelans and Iranians will all be willing to aid the UN in this noble effort.
It is evident that the Mexican government is completely out of control, and that corruption, bribery and influence peddling are going to keep it that way. Mexicans with some moral courage and no small determination will have to repair their own nation. That process, when/if it comes, will probably be pretty ugly, involve trampling normal “civil rights,” etc. I hope there are enough of them with the wherewithal to do it. It isn’t looking promising at the moment.
If I was going to guess, I’d speculate that the next government of Mexico will be a dictatorship. The only question is whether it will be a military dictatorship run by people who hate the drug lords, a military dictatorship of people in league with the drug kingpins, or a socialist/communist dictatorship of some kind, basically a transplant of Cuba or Venezuela. I’d like to believe that the Obama administration would not let this last option happen.
But on the evidence of their treatment of the due process of law in Honduras, I’m afraid that the next government in Mexico will be great friends with Castro.
