On July 18th, the Mexican Navy intercepted a mini submarine that was transporting more than 5 tons of cocaine. This is a significant operation that highlights the ability of Mexican armed forces to combat drug trafficking by air, land, and sea. Bilateral cooperation between the United States and Mexico contributed to the capture of the […]
There were two finds in Mexico this week that I thought really interesting: 1) the Mexican navy for the first time caught a drugs submarine from Colombia carrying 6 tons of cocaine (see BBC video here) 2) a cemetery outside Monterrey that was thought to contain only Mexican soldiers from the Mexican-American war was found […]
The complaints this week from the Mexican Congress about being spied on by the nation's intelligence agency (CISEN) provide an interesting find. Although CISEN's Director, Guillermo Valdes, came under fire from the allegations, his findings allege that drug money is threatening the country's institutions, along with the strong possibility that drug money was directly involved […]
It seems that some municipalities are governed by criminal organizations. According to the Attorney General's Office, drug cartels control 80 municipalities. However, Mexico has more than 2,500 municipalities and controlling 80 of them is far from controlling the entire country. In spite of this, a qualitative interpretation of these events would suggest that things are […]
Members of the Senate have declared that the Mexican Center for Research and National Security (CISEN) has been spying on them. According to some Senators, the executive branch, through the CISEN, has been gathering information about them without authorization. The Senators' outrage comes from three sources. First, information about them was collected without permission. Second, […]
Mexico City's Police Chief, Joel Ortega, resigned today under pressure from the city's mayor, Marcelo Ebrard, to reconstruct the police force. Ortega's firing is a direct result of a botched police operation to catch underage drinking at a nightclub, which prompted a stampede that killed 12 people in late June (see story). Mexico D.F.'s human […]
The June 30 signing by President Bush of House Resolution 2642, the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008, not only includes the Merida Initative to help Mexico crack down on drug cartels, it also funds wide-ranging American policies of which Latin America forms part of the global war on terror (see the President's remarks here). To […]
John McCain's visit to Mexico in July 2nd and 3rd came as a surprise. The media in Mexico and the United States only reported McCain's travel plans to Colombia and Mexico just a few days before the trip was to take place. During the trip to Mexico, McCain met with captains of industry, politicians, diplomats, […]
On June 30th, President Bush signed into law the Merida Initiative. The initiative is part of the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008, and provides $465 million dollars for the war against drugs in Mexico and Central America. Mexico will receive $400 million dollars. The Senate passed the controversial bill on June 27th. The original bill […]
On June 18th, the Swiss government announced that it would hand over approximately $74 million dollars to the Mexican government. This is just part of the assets that the Swiss Government confiscated from Raul Salinas de Gortari, brother of Carlos Salinas de Gortari, former President of Mexico. The remaining part of the assets would be […]
Mexico City's International Airport is a good representative of the current trends in the fight against drugs in Mexico. Indeed, the airport is a window to the escalating conflict that involves the federal government and its allies‚ including the US government‚ as well as drug trafficking organizations that dare to smuggle thousands of cocaine doses […]
Today's front page of BBC World News Online contains an excellent article summing up the complexity of Mexico's drug war. The reporters went into cartel-controlled territory to expose the topics that Alejandro and I have been covering: 1) the flow of US arms to Mexican cartels 2) the resulting violence of public officials and drug […]
With corn prices rising due in part to global climate changes, flooding, and droughts, the question arises: should Mexico use genetically modified seeds to improve crop yields, particularly corn? If a seed species were available that was drought and pest resistant, should it be used? The fact of the matter is that such a miracle […]
Today corn prices hit an all-time high of $7 a bushel. How does this affect Mexico, which gave the world its native maize after European contact? The answer is two-fold: 1) this represents a hardship for the majority of Mexicans while 2) higher prices present an opportunity for large agricultural exports. As a staple crop […]
Barack Obama's official position‚ at least according to his campaign website‚ is limited to promoting further economic development in Mexico to decrease illegal immigration. This is a reductionist position on one of the most important financial and political relationships in the world. Nevertheless, this does not mean that Obama does not have a more detailed […]