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Leaking secret US documents, it seems, is not the only way to peer behind the polished veneer of official diplomatic statements and scripted press conferences. Another way is simply to keep an ear open for off-the-cuff remarks, such as those made this week by US Undersecretary of the Army Joseph Westphal. Mr. Westphal likened Mexico's drug war to an "insurgency" and suggested the US might need to send troops to Mexico and to prevent organized crime groups from taking over the country.
Mexico has condemned the remarks, which Westphal has retracted and apologized for, but they echo September comments from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who also compared Mexico's trafficking-threat to an "insurgency." President Obama immediately backed away from Mrs. Clinton's comparison then, just as Westphal immediately labeled his own words "inaccurate." These diplomatic flip-flops, along with recently leaked US diplomatic cables from WikiLeaks, suggest that what Washington officials say in prepared speeches about Mexico is very different from what officials actually believe is happening south of the border.
'An insurgency right on our border'
Speaking Monday at the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah, Westphal said he does not want to see America's armed soldiers fighting an insurgency right on our border or just across our borders, as Deseret News reported. "This isn't just about drugs and illegal immigrants. This is about the potential takeover of a government that's right on our border," he said. His comments hit close to home in Mexico, as they suggest a future scenario where US troops might enter Mexican soil a highly sensitive topic for a country invaded several times by the US.
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Narco-insurgency in Mexico remarks get Westphal in hot water...
Mexico drug war an 'insurgency'? US official's gaffe sparks US-Mexico row.
February 10, 2011 - US Undersecretary of the Army Joseph Westphal this week likened Mexico's drug war to an 'insurgency' and suggested the US might need to send troops to prevent cartels from taking over Mexico.
Leaking secret US documents, it seems, is not the only way to peer behind the polished veneer of official diplomatic statements and scripted press conferences. Another way is simply to keep an ear open for off-the-cuff remarks, such as those made this week by US Undersecretary of the Army Joseph Westphal. Mr. Westphal likened Mexico's drug war to an "insurgency" and suggested the US might need to send troops to Mexico and to prevent organized crime groups from taking over the country.
Mexico has condemned the remarks, which Westphal has retracted and apologized for, but they echo September comments from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who also compared Mexico's trafficking-threat to an "insurgency." President Obama immediately backed away from Mrs. Clinton's comparison then, just as Westphal immediately labeled his own words "inaccurate." These diplomatic flip-flops, along with recently leaked US diplomatic cables from WikiLeaks, suggest that what Washington officials say in prepared speeches about Mexico is very different from what officials actually believe is happening south of the border.
'An insurgency right on our border'
Speaking Monday at the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah, Westphal said he does not want to see America's armed soldiers fighting an insurgency right on our border or just across our borders, as Deseret News reported. "This isn't just about drugs and illegal immigrants. This is about the potential takeover of a government that's right on our border," he said. His comments hit close to home in Mexico, as they suggest a future scenario where US troops might enter Mexican soil a highly sensitive topic for a country invaded several times by the US.
MORE