Menerva Lindsen
Active Member
- Dec 18, 2014
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Since the successful raid on bin Laden's Abottabad compound, much of America's attention has been focused squarely on southwestern Asia. The world has also been captivated by the drama unfolding in the aftermaths of uprisings in Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt, the so-called Arab Spring. But that doesn't mean the killings have stopped elsewhere, nor the challenges and dangers for the United States.
Mexican Drug War should be in the center of our attention:
The chaotic battle among rival drug cartels and a Mexican government desperate to quash the violence has raged on for nearly five years. And though the Mexican Drug War receives more media attention than some other global conflicts, "it's so much worse than it's portrayed inside the U.S.," says Steven Weber, professor of political science at the University of California-Berkeley. The brutal fighting intensified greatly in 2010--15,000 were killed in that year, up from 9,600 in 2009. All told, the death toll stands at more than 35,000, and has come to include U.S. personnel, as two Immigration and Customs agents were shot, one fatally, in a roadside attack in northern Mexico in February. That this war is happening on the United States' doorstep, Weber says, should deeply trouble Americans.
Equally troubling is that the United States is adding fuel to the fire, says Patrick Morgan, professor of political science at UC-Irvine's School of Social Sciences. "The really bad part is that we're involved in it in two huge ways: one is, of course, that the drugs are coming through Mexico to get to us. And most of the arms are going there from us." Though arms smuggling over the border had been a persistent problem, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives came under fire over "Operation Fast and Furious" this March, when it was revealed that ATF agents allowed guns to cross into Mexico, in order to track those firearms.
The U.S. government is working to help Mexico combat the ongoing discord. In its fiscal year 2012 budget, the State Department requested $333 million for Mexico, accounting for nearly 20 percent of State Department aid to all Western Hemisphere countries.
However we are spending billions for the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Ukraine. I propose to decide this problem first of all.
Mexican Drug War should be in the center of our attention:
The chaotic battle among rival drug cartels and a Mexican government desperate to quash the violence has raged on for nearly five years. And though the Mexican Drug War receives more media attention than some other global conflicts, "it's so much worse than it's portrayed inside the U.S.," says Steven Weber, professor of political science at the University of California-Berkeley. The brutal fighting intensified greatly in 2010--15,000 were killed in that year, up from 9,600 in 2009. All told, the death toll stands at more than 35,000, and has come to include U.S. personnel, as two Immigration and Customs agents were shot, one fatally, in a roadside attack in northern Mexico in February. That this war is happening on the United States' doorstep, Weber says, should deeply trouble Americans.
Equally troubling is that the United States is adding fuel to the fire, says Patrick Morgan, professor of political science at UC-Irvine's School of Social Sciences. "The really bad part is that we're involved in it in two huge ways: one is, of course, that the drugs are coming through Mexico to get to us. And most of the arms are going there from us." Though arms smuggling over the border had been a persistent problem, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives came under fire over "Operation Fast and Furious" this March, when it was revealed that ATF agents allowed guns to cross into Mexico, in order to track those firearms.
The U.S. government is working to help Mexico combat the ongoing discord. In its fiscal year 2012 budget, the State Department requested $333 million for Mexico, accounting for nearly 20 percent of State Department aid to all Western Hemisphere countries.
However we are spending billions for the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Ukraine. I propose to decide this problem first of all.
