Narco-Politics: How Mexico Got There and How It Can Get Out Pamela F. Izaguirre - Council on Hemispheric Affairs
go to original August 30, 2013

The arrest on August 17 of the leader of Cártel del Golfo (Gulf Cartel), Mario Ramirez Treviño, better known as X-20 as well as the capture this past July of the leader of Los Zetas (The Zetas), Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales, the Z-40, are nothing more than superficial achievements for Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto’s eight-month-old administration. As much as the U.S. and Mexican governments celebrate what is described as a successful blow to organized crime, in reality, the arrest will not significantly change Mexico’s current security problems.

The narco-business in the country is much more complex, unlike Colombia, where the 1993 elimination of Pablo Escobar meant the beginning of the disappearance of the power of the Medellin cartel; according to British journalist Ioan Grillo, in Mexico the problem is far more ingrained. Mexico is a dangerously fragmented country - one where a series of illegal networks have been historically intertwined with the government; where federal and military authorities are not always on the same side; and where drug traffic organizations (DTO’s) have been gaining more territory and becoming more powerful, particularly recent decades. Mexico’s geography has become its own curse due to its fertile land, where it is ideal to grow illegal substances and traffic them to U.S. consumers.

The complex nature of the drug war and its deep roots in Mexico’s modern history makes certain that the capture of one individual will not end the battle. The war on drugs can be divided into three historical contexts: the introduction and execution of prohibitionist policies in the United States; Mexico’s role in the transformation of the global drug market; and lastly, the dark side of Mexico’s transition from an authoritarian regime to a democracy. It is imperative that both policymakers in Mexico and the United States comprehend the complexity of the drug war so that the two countries can come up with appropriate strategies to combat organized crime and violence, as the current strategy in Mexico is short-sighted and simply not working.

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