A top White House official told Mexican officials that key aspects of the two countries’ fight against drug trafficking aren’t working and that the U.S. is open to pursuing new strategies together, according to people familiar with the message.
Juan Gonzalez, senior director for the Western Hemisphere on the National Security Council, made the comments last week on a call between Mexican Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the conversation was private. Gonzalez said that the tactics used in recent years haven’t produced the results either side wanted and that they need to adapt to new challenges, the people said.
The comments provide a look into how the Biden administration plans to shift security cooperation with Mexico after the heavy-handed approach of former President Donald Trump, who called for the two nations to “wage war” on the cartels and considered labeling them terrorist groups.
The U.S. comments pleased the Mexican government, according to one of the people familiar with the conversation, who said it’s a significant change from the approach the U.S. has taken until now. Mexico has long argued that other aspects of the fight against drug trafficking need to be addressed, including tackling gun smuggling from the U.S., which the country argues fuels its deadly organized crime groups.
While it’s unclear how these remarks would translate into policy, Mexico could suggest that they either change or replace the Merida Initiative, an agreement signed in 2008 under which the U.S. has handed Mexico billions of dollars in security aid, said the Mexican official. In response to an e-mailed request for comment about Gonzalez’s remarks, the U.S. National Security Council’s press office said that strategies “must evolve just as criminal groups have evolved, and we should be willing to objectively evaluate our own approach.”
“Elements of the Merida Initiative as originally designed may not be effective for the challenges of today,” the NSC said. “We should be doing more to target money laundering, pre-cursor chemicals, the role of China in fentanyl trafficking through Mexico, as well as investing in economic opportunity and crime prevention.” The State Department declined to comment. Mexico’s Foreign Ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
President Joe Biden has pledged to take action to curb gun violence. Democrats in Congress are reintroducing several gun control bills, including an expansion of background checks for purchasers. The Mexican official said a ban on assault weapons would be a crucial step. On the campaign trail in 2019, Biden promised to push for such a ban, though it would be difficult to pass in the Senate.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has taken a new direction in combating violence in the country, pushing to address the social causes of violence and arguing the country needs “hugs not bullets.” Homicides are still sky-high, hitting nearly 35,000 in 2019 and only falling slightly in 2020 amid pandemic restrictions.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-03/u-s-tells-mexico-that-drug-war-s-failure-requires-new-strategy
Not just China, India provides precursors as well
ReplyDeleteThe united states is one of the biggest consumer there is with drugs such as cocaine, meth and fentanyl. The U.S wants to reevaluate there approach? Wasn't the dea the ones who introduce the cocaine to the poor communities with in major cities such as Los Angeles, New York & Chicago? Biden trying to restrict gun control why every one should have the right to bear arms, 2nd Amendment. Trump a fool just doing to much he was just trying not too get attention cause he associated himself with Epstein. Drugs have no end in sight 70s heroine, 80s cocaine, 90s crack game, the millennium meth, fentanyl the new thing. Programs such as prevention shall evolve but should in a rapid pace and see what works and what doesn't.
ReplyDeleteEastsidn Lowridn
Reducing the demand in the US should be one of the aspects of the 'drug war.' The CIA was involved in coordinating drugs in order to fund anti-communist wars in South America after Congress cut the funding for those ops.
Delete8:37 wins, SOME IN the CIA did the drug dealing under cover of US government anti-revolutionary counter insurgency to fight a communism that they themselves created with help of their nazi rat line escapees of henry kissinger way before the reaganautas came to power, before even the CIA was created to mislead everybody with their pious causes, the School of the Americas based on the Ecole de Paris counter insurgency 'tactics' helped inmensely by getting local police and melitary ready.
DeleteIf the U.S really wants drug trafficking to slow down (won't ever stop) then the U.S and Mexico need to come to some sort of agreement where mexican wages are raised to American standards and goods become reasonably accessible to the people of both nations... and I would go as far as applying this across all of Latin America. Think about why these criminal organizations are committing crimes. It's to have an american standard of living. Think about it, Mexicans have to work a whole week to afford a pair of Mexican made Levi's. When would a Mexican be able to afford one of the trucks they help build on a $150 a week salary? Canadians can do it all day long, but the minute a Mexican farmer trys to sell you their produce at U.S market value it becomes too expensive. Americans start complaining because their limes are $2 a pound... Biden wants to change his strategy to keep the military industrial complex pockets fat at the cost of Mexican lives. I hope AMLO keeps fighting for Mexico's national sovereignty just as any American president would do the same for the U.S.
ReplyDeleteAccording to this article...that is part of the 'new' approach they are looking at. "...as well as investing in economic opportunity and crime prevention." I agree the demand and high level of profit without many other opportunities legally cause it to flourish
DeleteIf so than this "new" approach is no different than what AMLO is already working on and what AMLO suggested to Donald Trump.
DeleteBut we need Security in Mexico 🇲🇽 to live and work
DeleteYea yea The People of Mexico needs to Change Mexico
Deleteinstead of running away from their homeland
Millions can make the changes mexico needs
YEA afew will die but if all Mexicans get together and fight for their rights It will get done
Mexico could be better then Calif but the people are cowards they run away instead of fighting back
Don't be ignorant please, some politicians in Mexico are CIA and that's what they want coas
DeleteDo most cartel assault weapons and ammo come from USA? I thought that ended with Fast and Furious Obama and Holder policy.
ReplyDeleteA large amount do, smuggled in from straw buyers or from theft. Guns are pretty much illegal in Mexico. The Fast & Furious was the Bush/Obama administration's insane idea to use the gun smuggling to try and track players in Mexico...obviously backfired, especially when those guns were used to kill a US agent.
DeleteFast and Furious was "Operation Wide Receiver" started before "obama and holder came to power, it grew like chichis on steroids BECAUSE its beneficiaries could not steal contracts under the Obama regime that never tried to take anybody's guns that did not deserve it.
DeleteFucking around about school shooters and mass murderers and fire arms offenders 'rights to gun posession' is some special kind of extreme right BS, the NRA has never explained what happened to the 30 million dollars donation from the Kremlin, i am sure it did not all go to their BS Propaganda or Kompromat or to the Tea Party.
More useless talk!! More hugs and drugs!!
ReplyDelete5:19 before you find your charming prince, you have to kiss a few toads.
DeleteWell, that how it is supposed to happen, but in reality, the princess gets horny even before the first kiss, forks the papas without waiting for the transmogrification and ends up with King Bullfrog.
--Hugs and Kisses ain't kill nobody yet...
Its call $$$$$ for politicians.
DeleteWar on drugs is a shame!
ReplyDeleteLETS start by burning all the COKE fields first
ReplyDeleteThen STOP the CHINESE from supplying the MEXICAN cartels..
THE DRUG game generates BILLIONS of dollars so THAT would NEVER happen...
IT'S a big SHAM.. Just saying..
6:09 Too many rattlesnakes and BOAS on the coca fields.
DeleteThen there you might have an unwanted encounter with alvaro uribe velez' FARC, ELN, AUC, PEPES, POLICIA NACIONAL, or his chaman "General" oskarr naranjas...in colombia, or ecuador, or in sinaloa, bolivia, peru, etc. etc, etc, and more etc...
If the DEA DID stop drug trafficking, then they would be out of a job. They need drug trafficking just as much as the most insatiable drug addict. For Christ's sake, they're not going to work themselves out of a job. So they have to keep the spigot open.
ReplyDelete7:27 the DEA? there are levels, even at the CIA...who does not want solitary Boy Scout Gunslingers in the DEA or anywhere.
DeleteTheir bosses won't allow it.
They want keep the Mexican race oppressed. Genocide. Coronavirus genocide on Native Mexicans
ReplyDeleteSpecially with infecting Mexican with the Virus. Done by Bill Gates and George Sonos, to sell the Vaccine to poison the Mexican people
DeleteIt’s not a gun problem—it’s a “people” problem on both sides of the U.S. - Mexico line.
ReplyDeleteM.F.
U r so right guns don't kill, people have to pull the tigger
Delete12:04 if there is no trigger to pull, the people can't pull it.
DeleteShooting murders are made easier by the lack of enforcement of the "well regulated" component of the 2nd Ammendment, because its adherent confederates start choking on their panties
New strategy for the USA: abstinence. Good luck.
ReplyDelete12:25 mientras haiga jabon y vaselina nunca habrá abstinencia y ya ni los padrecitos creen en semejantes chingaderas
DeleteThe Sinaloa cartel and the CJNG are the most powerful groups in the world..all the others are easy targets for them!
ReplyDeleteThe jaliscas and the cds are the most powerful criminal groups in mexico but not even the most powerful in latin america much less the world. The colombians are bigger but unlike the fame chasing innocent killing mexicans the colombians are known as the invisibles. They are in the shadows. Have you ever heard the name Guillermo Acevedo? I suggest anyone that is going to reply to what i say looks it up and read on him. He worked for escobar and still on the loose quietly being the biggest drug lord you necer heard about. Also remember this colombians grow and process more coke than anyone including peruvians and bolivians and a kilo of coke sells for up to 80 thousand in europe. While the mexicans do control the usa market they still buy colombian coke. And the colombians send coke to the Caribbean to europe to africa to asia. And then you have the calabrian mafia the russian mafia the chinese triads the jakuza. While jaliscas and cds betray snitch and turn on their own. Even el mayo zambada the longest sitting boss in mexico cant not escape from being labeled a snitch and even if he personally havent snitched the zambada name is shit when his son and his brother testified against el chapo another snitch. In short order there is no reason for anyone to be proud of any current mexican disorganized crime group. Their a bunch of raping snitching innocent women and children killing assholes. Even the gulf cartel that runs shit here were i live aint shit.
Deletethe dea shld pull out of mexico and put severe sanctions on mexico. How the fuck you expect the most corrupt goverment to want to combat the cartels? It aint in their beat interest even if the regular law aboding citizens in mexico are the ones the get fucked. The so called drug war for the usa is lost or won at the border. Stopping drug loads not trying to get a corrupt no balls having goverment that depends on cartel money to cut their money supply you fucking idiots. Congrats to bb coming back. How the fuck they took you down for months because of an asshole druglord tried to shut you down using courts which is a pussy move is beyond fucking crazy. Glad your back.
DeleteThe colombians are the most powerful in the world..they are knows how to be super low profile and their name is the invisibles!
Deletedon't even need to read the comments...its ALWAYS EVERYONE else fault.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, u are not the only one who feels the same. Policies have & will never make sense when it pertains to a failed drug war.
DeleteE42
Aloha! Can we be honest? The Mexican government is a pure 100% failure at policing drug trafficking. They can't even handle unarmed illegals in Mexico! The Cartels own half the territory of Mexico and probably 90% of Mexico politicians and the military and police. Biden is just stupid enough to think the President of Mexico is in charge.
ReplyDeleteNow look when it comes to trafficking assault weapons and many other military arms no president in the USA sold more weapons to dictators than Obama. Obama sold 43% more weapons than Bush and Bush did the the Iraq War! https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/02/28/us-weapons-exports-increased-43-under-obama/98516258/
Ever since Just Say No and Miami Vice the DEA and the war on drugs has failed. First step is to take the profit out of it not only for the cartels, but the DEA and the DNC too!