With federal resources aimed at drug traffickers and local police more often a part of the problem than a part of the solution, vigilantes are stepping into the void. Suspected criminals who run afoul of these vigilantes endure the brunt of a skewed version of justice that enjoys a groundswell of support. In the southern […]
Reliant upon consumption in the US, Mexico’s economy has suffered mightily this year. The pillars of state revenue—oil, remittances, and tourism—have been shellacked, thanks not only to recession in the US but the outbreak of H1N1. First quarter projections had the Mexican economy on track to contract by 20%! More recent forecasts expect GDP to […]
The Olive Ridley sea turtle was nearly hunted into extinction two decades ago. Oaxaca’s beaches were a slaughter ground where the turtles—large, slow on land, and unable to retract their heads into their shells—were targeted for their eggs (hailed as an aphrodisiac), meat, and fat. Prior to 1950, 10 million Olive Ridley nested on Mexico’s […]
Overdue reform was swiftly executed last Saturday night when federal troops descended on Luz y Fuerza del Centro, a state-owned electric company serving central Mexico. The plant was closed, operations were handed over to a larger state-run utility, and 44,000 workers were jobless come Sunday morning. The president’s decree cited inefficiency and ongoing operating losses […]
According to History Channel lore, the Mayan calendar ends on December 21, 2012. Indeed the Long Count calendar, one of several used by the Maya, reaches the end of a 394-year cycle, known as a Baktun, at about that time. The Long Count calendar begins in 3114 BCE; hence, 2012 AD will mark the end […]
Two seizures last week resulted in the largest meth-related interdiction in Mexican history. Seventeen tons of 2-phenylacetaminde were seized entering Mexico from the customs point at Nuevo Laredo. Twenty tons of sodium phenylacetate were uncovered at the Pacific Ocean port of Manzanillo. Both ingredients are integral to the manufacture of methamphetamine and could have been […]
The never-ending year lurches on in Mexico. Verano becomes otoño, drug violence headlines become H1N1 headlines. Good news is Mexico has a track record of ably handling the pandemic. Bad news is upwards of 5 million in Mexico are expected to contract the infamous strand of influenza this winter. Perhaps 2,000 could die as a […]
Gold plated AK-47s. Marble columned mansions with caged panthers in the foyer. Caches of jewel-encrusted gold crucifixes affixed to heavy chains. Lots of bling is how you live when “investing for retirement” refers to your grave setting. And so it has been in Mexico among the drug gangs, spawning a pop culture infused with reverence […]
Conjecture is rife in the aftermath of Mexico’s decriminalization program. Much of it concerns the reaction of the drug cartels. Will they be undercut by legalization? Will they redouble efforts to expand drug use in Mexico? Will prices decrease? Will Mexico’s new focus on treatment, as opposed to punishment, work? Answers to some of these […]
The decriminalization of drug use in Mexico is bound to have unintended consequences. Beginning last Friday, possession of small amounts of drugs, including cocaine, heroine, LSD, marijuana and meth, is permitted. Such wholesale legalization is crude, but may prove beneficial to the Mexican economy. Having up to four joints on you (the legal limit is […]
The cliff diving Mecca of Acapulco has come to symbolize Mexico’s ailing economy. The sheer cliffs of La Quebrada are famous for the professional divers who hurl themselves over the 140-plus foot cliffs. If they time the waves wrong, they can go splat. Tourists can watch the spectacle from a nearby restaurant carved into the […]
Little is set to change in North American relations, over a week after President Calderón hosted President Obama and Prime Minister Harper. Many press accounts acknowledge this, some arguing that the leaders opted “to punt” on the difficult issues. The summit’s failure to produce meaningful change is hardly surprising. In fact, the mundane outcome is […]
President Felipe Calderón is trying his hand at regional power broker. Deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya called on Mexico yesterday to bolster his presidential claims, hoping that Mexico can exert the necessary diplomatic pressure to return him to office. Costa Rican President Óscar Arias notably failed to broker a change in Zelaya’s status over the […]
The current issue of Foreign Affairs contains a timely article on Mexico’s plight by Council on Foreign Relations scholar Shannon O’Neil. “The Real Risk in Mexico” explores the dual trends of drug-related violence and democratic development. Over the past decade Mexico has been beset by drug-related violence. Concurrently, Mexico ended 70 years of one-party rule […]
As border enforcement stiffens, fewer ‘safe’ routes are leaving workers and drug traffickers corralled side-by-side in northern Mexico. This precarious arrangement likely contributes to the recent drop in Mexican immigration. More and more often unarmed workers are being assaulted and robbed by traffickers, adding to the perils of border crossing. During the day, motley clothed […]