A Decade of Conflict With No End in Sight in Mexico's War on Drugs Daniel Barker Flores - Pulsamerica
go to original January 5, 2017

Mexico violence: 10-year-anniversary of war on drugs (Al Jazeera English)

In mid-December, the tenth anniversary of the start of the Mexican War on Drugs passed largely unacknowledged by many news outlets. Indeed, this is unsurprising, given that the Drug War has become so normalized. Every passing year of narco and state brutality only further desensitizes us to the degradation of human life that continues throughout Mexico. It is now simply accepted that the country exists in a state of internal conflict, and so marking anniversaries seems somewhat redundant. This is particularly so as the Mexican drug war appears to have no end in sight.

However, we should not allow such anniversaries to slip beneath the radar. The War on Drugs initiated by President Felipe Calderón in 2006 has changed Mexico. Therefore, it is worth reflecting upon the achievements of the last decade. Furthermore, at the risk of evoking tired clichés about the New Year, we should look to the future. Current Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has now entered the final two years of his term, and US President-elect Trump is due to be inaugurated later this month. I suspect that neither political change will improve the situation in Mexico, and could prolong the violence further still.

Ten days after his inauguration, Calderón deployed an extra 50,000 soldiers and police throughout Mexico. This signaled the start of the government’s War on Drugs. That is, in its current incarnation.



It is worth noting that Mexican counter-narcotics policy dates back to the support given to Nixon’s US War on Drugs. During the Nixon Presidency, the Mexican government and the DEA cooperated in trying to eradicate heroin and marijuana production, chiefly within the fertile region known as Mexico’s Golden Triangle. Having proven to be devastating in Vietnam, the herbicide Agent Orange was provided to the Mexican government by the US, and used to destroy narcotics plantations. These tactics were successful in combating drug production. Within 3 years the amount of Heroin entering the United States had almost halved, and the amount of marijuana being consumed had dropped by approximately 70%. However, demand from the US never decreased. Thus, drug production simply became more lucrative.

By contrast, the War on Drugs begun by Calderón ten years ago was not simply aimed at diminishing narcotics production. Rather, Calderón responded to growing inter-cartel violence. Indeed, he never hoped to end drug production and trafficking and instead sought to dismantle the cartels. For this Calderón prioritized the role of the military, rather than using just the police- a notoriously corrupt institution. He failed dramatically to meet his aims. The cartels are still thriving, and murders and disappearances are common throughout the country.

The death toll of the War on Drugs was cited at approximately 60,000 people dead when Calderón left office. Currently, statistics in excess of 80,000 victims are commonly cited. Others believe that the number is far higher, reporting that close to 200,000 people have died due to the conflict. The number of documented torture victims since 2007, abused by both the state and the cartels, is approximately 8000. Furthermore, estimates place the number of disappeared during the war at close to 30,000. That is nearly as many victims as some sources estimate were disappeared during Argentina’s Dirty War. Mass disappearances such as the 43 Ayotzinapa students are shocking, and rightfully demand the attention of the international media. However, they sadly represent just the tip of the iceberg.

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