With more than 15,000 murders blamed on Mexico's criminal gangs, 2010 was the deadliest year yet under President Felipe Calderon's controversial military offensive against organized crime.
Calderon vowed to fight the country's powerful drug gangs when he took power after disputed elections four years ago, deploying tens of thousands of soldiers to help underfunded and often corrupt police.
Gruesome killings, including beheadings, hangings and mass killings, have spread across the country since then, as the gangs have fought back and broken into splinter groups.
Arms and human trafficking as well as extortion were also on the rise, he said.
Almost 1,000 areas of the country lacked formal State control, according to studies conducted in May 2010.
Daytime shootouts added to a growing climate of fear in Monterrey, a northern city and business hub, while the popular weekend retreat of Cuernavaca, near Mexico city, saw roadside hangings and threats to civilians as drug traffickers battled in the area.
Officials insist the situation is under control.
The government points to successes including the arrests and killings of a string of top drug traffickers as well as drug seizures, such as the record haul of 134 tons of marijuana in Tijuana, on the US border in October.
But near daily killings continues.
Gangs, such as the mysterious La Familia based in western Mexico, garner support and offer protection to communities neglected by the state, as well as carrying out extortion on scores of businesses.
Despite recent small measures to counter money laundering, experts estimated that more than 77% of Mexico's economic sectors were partially in the hands of criminal groups.
Mexican drug traffickers use billions of dollars of mainly US profits to enrich their organizations each year.
Last year was the chinese year of the Tiger, a predator agressive in nature and unpredictable if "tamed".
ReplyDelete2011is the year of the Rabbit! Things WILL change for the better, at least a bit...and necessary no matter how minimal the good change will be.
"According to Chinese tradition, the Rabbit brings a year in which you can catch your breath and calm your nerves. It is a time for negotiation. Don't try to force issues, because if you do you will ultimately fail. To gain the greatest benefits from this time, focus on home, family, security, diplomacy, and your relationships with women and children. Make it a goal to create a safe, peaceful lifestyle, so you will be able to calmly deal with any problem that may arise"
I guess law and order is indeed Controversial in Mexico, is the slant of this piece that crime should not be challenged?? that the pesident created lawless corruption? Well lets hurry up and elect a new Do Nothing President then Mexico can return to its Healthy ole self.
ReplyDeleteClearly, Mexico now has great sub-populations of outlaws and criminals who have no virtually fear of the law. This because, Mexico's legal, political, and moral institutions (church, civility) are neutralized or irrelevant.
ReplyDeleteA portion includes criminal hybrids such as corrupt officials who maintain public offices but when necessary or expedient serve paying others. These can be judges, politicians, soldiers, petty bureaucrats, or cops. They are hybrids because they present honorable to the public while being corrupt.
Another part of the sub-population includes common crooks that range from petty thieves, rapists, robbers, burglars, and members of street gangs unaffiliated or loosely affiliated with organized criminal entities.
Yet another group of criminals are involved in organized crime such as members of so-called drug cartels or syndicates.
The point I wish to make here, is that Mexico is doomed to fail and must collapse under the weight of its criminal sub-population. It is a a moral, economic, political, cultural stew of interdependent factors impinging on all aspects of Mexican life. One could almost say that the Devil "own" Mexico.
In the scenario I see, Mexico is heading for a violent revolution like the world has never seen. Of necessity the USA will get involved because of the legal and illegal Mexicans in the USA as well as its domestic drug addicts and criminal elements....and, of course, the American people.
The picture I see is nightmarish and bloody. In all this I see the rise of a powerful police state. When the dust settles, there will be a New World Order not unlike George Orwell described in his book: 1984. Maybe worse because of our advanced technological tools for modifying or altering human behavior in "desired" directions.
Bottom line: Mexico is resembling bloody African nations more and more with each passing day.
@ anon January 1, 2011 10:40 PM
ReplyDeleteyou nailed it ..no faith in any institutions other than crime
Eventually a Republican will order troops into Mexico. It is inevitable. They will do so by first declaring the cartels an ITO (International Terrorist Organization). Having already been given the authorization to protect the world from terrorists and the failure of the Mexican government to control them (as in Afghanistan) the US will invade. More innocent Mexicans will die. The cartels will run away. The US will occupy Mexico. The Amero will be the new currancy for North American. We will all be one big unhapy dysfunctional family. (except there will be lots more hot ass latinas chasing white men in the US).
ReplyDelete