Comments on: Death of Police Chief Puts Spotlight on Plan Mérida http://mexico.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/05/09/death-of-police-chief-puts-spotlight-on-plan-merida/ The official Web log for Great Decisions 2007 Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:20:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=wordpress-mu-1.0 by: Mexico » Blog Archive » How to Evaluate Mexico’s War on Drugs? http://mexico.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/05/09/death-of-police-chief-puts-spotlight-on-plan-merida/#comment-596 Mon, 02 Jun 2008 18:06:52 +0000 http://mexico.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/05/09/death-of-police-chief-puts-spotlight-on-plan-merida/#comment-596 [...] These events have contributed to the recent advance of the Merida Initiative in the US Congress—both the Senate and the House have approved bills that include aid to Mexico, although they still have to agree on a single bill. But is Mexico receiving aid because its forces are doing really well and need further support to win the battle with the cartels or is the country doing so badly that it needs urgent assistance before it loses the War on Drugs? Carrying out the world’s largest cash seizure has definitively contributed to victory over drugs, but losing the chief of federal police has not, specially since this highlights the government’s inability to protect its main strategists and operatives against drug cartels. [...] […] These events have contributed to the recent advance of the Merida Initiative in the US Congress—both the Senate and the House have approved bills that include aid to Mexico, although they still have to agree on a single bill. But is Mexico receiving aid because its forces are doing really well and need further support to win the battle with the cartels or is the country doing so badly that it needs urgent assistance before it loses the War on Drugs? Carrying out the world’s largest cash seizure has definitively contributed to victory over drugs, but losing the chief of federal police has not, specially since this highlights the government’s inability to protect its main strategists and operatives against drug cartels. […]

]]> by: Jaime Aguilla http://mexico.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/05/09/death-of-police-chief-puts-spotlight-on-plan-merida/#comment-582 Fri, 16 May 2008 16:03:40 +0000 http://mexico.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/05/09/death-of-police-chief-puts-spotlight-on-plan-merida/#comment-582 The war in the middle east maybe a priority for US policy-makers, but this a short sighted interpretation regarding the various threats to the wellbeing of Mexico and the United States. For the US implementing programs to minimize the use of illicit drugs would be cheaper and more effective than the current cost of "War on Drugs" policies. The war in the middle east is a different issue, but ending the war would for example help reduce current gas prices and encourage Americans to be more consumer oriented. For Mexico, reducing the level of corruption is always a significant but impossible to obtain objective. Although Calderon's efforts to fix the problems with collecting income tax is a related and important goal. Increased government revenue to pay better wages to military personnel may help limit the ability of the drug cartels to recruit former soldiers. Jaime The war in the middle east maybe a priority for US policy-makers, but this a short sighted interpretation regarding the various threats to the wellbeing of Mexico and the United States. For the US implementing programs to minimize the use of illicit drugs would be cheaper and more effective than the current cost of “War on Drugs” policies. The war in the middle east is a different issue, but ending the war would for example help reduce current gas prices and encourage Americans to be more consumer oriented. For Mexico, reducing the level of corruption is always a significant but impossible to obtain objective. Although Calderon’s efforts to fix the problems with collecting income tax is a related and important goal. Increased government revenue to pay better wages to military personnel may help limit the ability of the drug cartels to recruit former soldiers.

Jaime

]]> by: Mexico » Blog Archive » Where do Mexico’s drugs come from? http://mexico.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/05/09/death-of-police-chief-puts-spotlight-on-plan-merida/#comment-580 Tue, 13 May 2008 18:42:34 +0000 http://mexico.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/05/09/death-of-police-chief-puts-spotlight-on-plan-merida/#comment-580 [...] Mexico The official Web log for Great Decisions 2007 « Death of Police Chief Puts Spotlight on Plan Mérida [...] […] Mexico The official Web log for Great Decisions 2007 « Death of Police Chief Puts Spotlight on Plan Mérida […]

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