The Nature of the U.S.-Mexico Drug War: Equal Responsibility, Unequal Costs
“Drugs will be at the top of the agenda. It will dominate the agenda because the drug fight is all that Calderón talks about, all that he thinks about.” – Jorge Casteñada, Mexico’s former Secretary of Foreign Affairs.
Trapped
Mexico is suffering. Thousands of its citizens are trapped in the unyielding currents of the drug war, unable to escape the relentless stream of violence, poverty, and despair tearing through the country. The drugs, the crime, and the acts of brutality flow in a complex cycle between neighbors: Mexico and its putative, half-sympathetic, and part-time North American collaborator, the United States.
Though both countries share responsibility for perpetrating the drug war, their respective roles within the conflict are sharply different. This is graphically evident in the death tolls connected to the Mexican phase of drug violence. Although one should recognize the tragedy of the seventy-nine United States citizens who have died due to drug violence in 2009, one should also realize that in the same year, Mexico, as reported by El Universal newspaper lost 7,724. For the United States, this war is an accelerating national security threat, but for Mexico, the extensive, violent system of drug cartels is an escalating national disaster.
This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Devin Parsons
“Drugs will be at the top of the agenda. It will dominate the agenda because the drug fight is all that Calderón talks about, all that he thinks about.” – Jorge Casteñada, Mexico’s former Secretary of Foreign Affairs.
Trapped
Mexico is suffering. Thousands of its citizens are trapped in the unyielding currents of the drug war, unable to escape the relentless stream of violence, poverty, and despair tearing through the country. The drugs, the crime, and the acts of brutality flow in a complex cycle between neighbors: Mexico and its putative, half-sympathetic, and part-time North American collaborator, the United States.
Though both countries share responsibility for perpetrating the drug war, their respective roles within the conflict are sharply different. This is graphically evident in the death tolls connected to the Mexican phase of drug violence. Although one should recognize the tragedy of the seventy-nine United States citizens who have died due to drug violence in 2009, one should also realize that in the same year, Mexico, as reported by El Universal newspaper lost 7,724. For the United States, this war is an accelerating national security threat, but for Mexico, the extensive, violent system of drug cartels is an escalating national disaster.
This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Devin Parsons
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