...According to FreedomHouse, “Mexico is one of the world’s most dangerous places for a journalists and media workers.” Mexican Cartels such as the Cartel de Sinaloa have persecuted active journalists throughout the state of Sinaloa for reporting on subjects such as gun battles, beheadings, mass killings, and other violent activities. Journalists endure intimidation, harassment and violent attacks from crime organizations. Several of journalist have been murdered within the past decade due to their work. In 2017 alone, eleven journalists were killed in Mexico, compared to the 42 murdered worldwide, according to the Paris based Reporters Without Borders. Infuriated cartel members and political officials use violence as a way of retaliating or “shutting down” journalists who have reported...
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...Will It Ever Stop? INTRODUCTION The United States and Mexico share a border that stretches 2,000 miles. The border is a product of the clash of the British and Spanish Empires. It is a place of lawlessness and violence. Drug cartels have used the border to smuggle illegal drugs into the United States for years. The United States market for drugs is a multibillion dollar a year industry. 90% of the illegal drugs that are smuggled into America come through our southern borders. As a nation we consume over 50% of the worlds illegal drugs, which exemplify the problem that America has with drug consumption. The demand for illegal drugs in the US allows drug cartels in Mexico to make billions of dollars by smuggling Marijuana, and Methamphetamines through the US/Mexican Border. Efforts to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the US have been unsuccessful. Drug Cartels use various methods in the transportation of their merchandise. Such methods include using underground tunnels, semi trucks, automobiles, and humans to transport these illegal drugs. Only 3 to 8 percent of the drugs that are smuggled from Latin America into the United States is confiscated, which is a very discouraging number. Our border patrol and DEA need to do a better job securing our borders and preventing the flow of such harmful drugs into America. There are a reported 7 cartels that operate in Mexico; the biggest players in the drug trade between Mexico and the US are the Tijuana, Juarez, Sinaloa, and the Gulf...
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...(Vulliamy). The most drug trafficking happens on the border between Mexico and the United States. Former Mexican President Felipe Calderon said, “Our neighbor is the largest consumer of drugs in the world. And everybody wants to sell him drugs through our door and our window” (Catholic Online). Mexico is the main foreign supplier of marijuana and a major supplier of methamphetamine to the United States. Mexico is responsible for 90% of drugs that comes from the southern border of the United States. Mexico has been a producer and distributer of illegal drugs for generations; the country now finds itself in a battle with powerful and well-financed drug cartels. The corruption in the Mexico, the trafficking of weapons and the violence has made it possible for cartels to keep operating. Since 2006, when president Calderon declared the war on drug cartels, violence in Mexico has increased dramatically. The country has certainly seen a big rise in drug violence, with cartels fighting for control of major shipment routes. Mexican cartels have been tied to both human and arms trafficking, auto theft and kidnapping (Siddique). The drug business is a cycle between the United States and Mexico. Mexico sends the cargo and the United States sends the money, fueling the drug cartels. Drug cartels use the money to bribe government officials; they also buy weapons in the United States to perpetuate the violence in Mexico....
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...Mexico: Drugs or Democracy Introduction Illicit drug trade between Mexico and the United States, estimated between $17 billion and $38 billion a year in 2009 by the Drug Intelligence Center, has a long and storied past. Cartels operated with relative impunity from government prosecution during the seventy year reign of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, (PRI). The movement from an authoritarian government system of the PRI to the liberal democracy initiated by the election victory of the National Action Party, (PAN), candidate, Vicente Fox, in 2000, disrupted the status quo. Election gains by PAN Representatives disrupted long standing agreements between the cartels and government officials which led to the increased violence that exists today. This paper will explore the history of the relationship between the cartels and the PRI. The effect of the increased violence from the cartels inhibits the efforts of PAN party officials to establish a lasting democracy. Literature Review Research shows the three distinct stages in the development of a cohesive relationship between drug cartels and government in Mexico and identifies the political and economic conditions that have allowed the drug trade to thrive. Comparing Mexico with Columbia, another narcotics state, provides an additional case study on the subject matter and highlights actions utilized successfully. A review of the current political and military efforts to curtail corruption within the government provides...
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...The Mexican Drug War: Is It Their War or Ours? A common news headline in any newspaper or on any news channel these days mentions the “Mexican drug war”. It has become common along the U. S./Mexico border to hear people talking about it at schools, work places and in their own neighborhoods - coworkers, classmates and neighbors whom are involved in some way or know someone that is. Violence is seen and heard of on the U.S. side of the border quite frequently, which raises the questions, is it their war or ours? This war may have started on Mexican soil; however, it is, most definitely, the United States’ war as well. How did this all begin? What does the U.S. have to do with it? “For years, Mexico’s domestic supply of psychoactive...
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...billion (Vulliamy). The most drug trafficking happens on the border between Mexico and the United States. Former Mexican President Felipe Calderon said, “Our neighbor is the largest consumer of drugs in the world. And everybody wants to sell him drugs through our door and our window” (Catholic Online). Mexico is the main foreign supplier of marijuana and a major supplier of methamphetamine to the United States. Mexico is responsible for 90% of drugs that comes from the southern border of the United States. Mexico has been a producer and distributer of illegal drugs for generations; the country now finds itself in a battle with powerful and well-financed drug cartels. The corruption in the Mexico, the trafficking of weapons and the violence has made it possible for cartels to keep operating. Since 2006, when president Calderon declared the war on drug cartels, violence in Mexico has increased dramatically. The country has certainly seen a big rise in drug violence, with cartels fighting for control of major shipment routes. Mexican cartels have been tied to both human and arms trafficking, auto theft and kidnapping (Siddique). The drug business is a cycle between the United States and Mexico. Mexico sends the cargo and the United States sends the money, fueling the drug cartels. Drug cartels use the money to bribe government officials; they also buy weapons in the United States to perpetuate the violence in...
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...United States of America and Mexico lies Ciudad Juarez. An infamous border town that is known for a great many reason, not all being pleasant. Juarez, as is called by locals, is right across the town of El Paso, Texas. Being so close to the United States has made Juarez, and the state of Chihuahua, a very popular place for companies to invest money. Unfortunately, it also makes it favorable territory for the drug cartels in the region. The two at war for the city being Sinaloa and Juarez. These two organizations, along with the original shady local government of the town, aided in the blossom of intense violence in the form of femicide, gang killings and very violent and public murders beginning in the early...
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...Tania Trevino English 1302 Johanna Hunt Nov 1, 2011 Mexican Drug War In 2006 Mexico’s current president Felipe Calderon declared war against drug cartels, since that day Mexico has not been the same. This declaration created a storm of violence throughout the country, and has left Mexican people hopeless and desperate to find a solution to this problem. Mexico has become a vulnerable country that fear drug cartels, and that lives surrounded by violence. It is essential to comprehend how this situation started, what effects it has had on Mexican society and what actions is the Mexican government taking to overcome this problem. It’s no surprise to say that the drug cartels have been around for many years, there has always been a great demand for drugs and Mexico following the Colombian steps has been up to date with selling drugs and transporting them to other countries. Its’ location has been very convenient and has created a connection between the southern countries and the Unites States. Everything started to deteriorate when Mexico’s president decided to declare war against them, the many arrests and deaths of cartel leaders lead to bloody conflicts between the Mexican Federal Police and the drug cartels. There are several main cartels that domain the country these are separated into alliances that are composed of two groups: The first group is formed by Juarez cartel, Tijuana cartel, Beltran-Leyva cartel and the Zetas, the second group is composed by Gulf cartel...
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...Simon Waltzer Intro to Speech Communication 11/28/2010 Mexican Drug Wars In the early part of 2003 I went to the state of Michoacán in Mexico to visit my grandparents, because it had been since 1994 since I was last there. It was an incredible experience for me to once again see my family who many of them I’ve never met before. Never did I know that this might have been the last time that I would go visit them, no not because I didn’t want to but because of the circumstances surrounding the area of where my parents lived in. The reality was that Mexican Drug Cartel who has existed since the 1980s had become stronger and dangerous since newly elected Mexican President Felipe Calderon was in assumed office in December of 2006. Calderon hailing from that very state of Michoacán ordered 6,500 federal troops to the state of Michoacán to end the drug violence there. Ever since then, the drug violence between drug cartels and the Mexican Government has escalated to the highest extent. Although drug violence has existed long before the war with cartels and the government began, it was generally not as bad during the 1990s and early 2000s. This action is regarded as the first major operation against organized crime, and is generally viewed as the starting point of the war between the government and the drug cartels. As time progressed, Calderón continued to escalate his anti-drug campaign, in which there are now about 45,000 troops involved in addition of state and federal police...
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...The roadway network in Mexico has an extent of 366,095 km (227,481 mi), The speed limit in multi-lane freeways or expressways is on average 110 km/h (70 mph) for automobiles and 95 km/h (60 mph) for buses and trucks The tolls are, on average, among the most expensive in the world, according to a comparative study realized in 2004 by the Chamber of Deputies Mexico privatized its rail service with the dissolution of the former Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México in 1998. There is a Mexico City Metro and a Monterrey Metro as well as light rail systems operating in Mexico City (Xochimilco Light Rail), and Guadalajara (Guadalajara light rail system). Airport infrastructure in Mexico is the most advanced in Latin America:[14] all the cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants have an airport There are 1834 airports in Mexico, the third-largest number of airports by country in the world.[15] The seven largest airports—which absorb 90% of air travel—are (in order of air traffic): Mexico City International Airport, Cancún International Airport, Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport (Guadalajara), General Mariano Escobedo International Airport (Monterrey), General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport (Tijuana), General Juan N. Álvarez International Airport (Acapulco), and Lic. Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport (Puerto Vallarta).[14] All airports are privately owned, with the exception of Mexico City International Airport. This airport remains the largest in...
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...The Women of Ciudad Juarez Woman of Juarez are hardly ever acknowledge in Mexico and in the United States. No one takes the time to acknowledge their work, when they are the women who work, in order to satisfy the needs of people in the United States. There have been several factors that have served as a contribution to the violence occurring against the woman in Ciudad Juarez. Some blame the drug cartels, some blame the military, some blame the economy, some blame serial killers, but nobody truly understands the violence. The question to these murders has been raised by several individuals, and it is to argue that it is the fault of globalization and industrialization. The contribution of the two nations and its ideas of Globalization have allowed the incidents of disappearances of more women in Ciudad Juarez. Therefore the murders of Ciudad Juarez are not causality, but an issue involving the government both of the United States and Mexico. For decades it has been noted that women are treated unequally and in an unjust matter, but today’s incidents in Juarez have escalated to a higher level of injustice. Bowden says “The violence is increasing day by day, and the murderers, over and over again, turn out to be members of the Mexican Army, who are clearly working with the cartels. When is it not the army carrying out murder, it is gangs, with army and even police support” (Bowden). It is clearly stated that in one way or the other theirs a member of society involve...
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...14 December, 2013 The Impact of United States Drug Policy on Mexico and Colombia Drugs are not new to this Earth. Mankind has grown and consumed drugs for millennia. Marijuana, or more appropriately Cannabis, is indigenous to Central and South Asia, and has been consumed widely since 3000 B.C.E. (ElSohly 8). In more recent times (1938), Albert Hoffman synthesized Lysergic acid diethylamide, more commonly known as LSD, while searching for treatments for psychiatric diseases (Hoffman). Initially, many drugs were used in religious/spiritual functions. In several instances, the strong fibers of the Cannabis plant were used for building, much like jute, and the narcotic aspects of the plants were not even explored (ElSohly 8). However, today, drugs are frequently used recreationally, and as a result are highly profitable commodities. It is common knowledge that across the world, the vast majority of drugs are illegal or are restricted in some way. Almost nightly, proponents for the legalization of drugs, decriminalization of certain drugs, and the continued ban on drugs debate their positions through the media. This debate is a hot button issue that is almost entirely centered upon the views and policies of the world’s largest drug consumer, the United States of America (CIA Factbook). Governments and the media very often focus on drug consumption trends and drug flow into the United States, while largely ignoring Latin American perspectives and impacts on Latin America. Though...
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...“In 2006, there were 34,000 drug war related deaths in mexico”(Whittemore in 1).The levels of violence is described as a terrorism or as a civil war, since there are many attacks targeting Mexican authorities, The Mexican Government has indicated that the cartels have These profound levels of violence are not best described as a civil war or as terrorism, since on the broad scale they aren't despite the fact that many attacks target Mexican authorities, that President Calderon has indicated that the cartels seek to ignore the government. Most of the killings are of drug cartel criminals by drug cartel criminals and the government. The violence represents a serious degree of lawlessness in Mexico. Increased violence represent a serious foreign policy concern for the United States. 259 U.S. citizens were murdered in Mexico within a 5 year span, also several targeted U.S. government employees. U.S. citizen deaths in Mexico are due to violence which has increased from 21% in 2003 through 2005 to 30% in 2008.” Of the 34,000 fatalities reported by the Mexican government from December 2006 to December 2010, 46% were in states bordering the U.S., and 26% were within 50 km of the U.S. border”(.Robert Johnston in...
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...terrorism, there is a critical need to increase Department of Defense initiatives, in conjunction with the other elements of national power, to develop a decisive anti-drug cartel strategy that will provide security for not only our nation but other nations as well and its citizens at home and abroad. Narcotics, guns and violence, the powerful elements of a never ending war. All these elements are part of the campaign to rid the world of the disaster that drugs so ferociously have inflicted upon the United States and Mexico. The United States and Mexico has for the past three decades declared that it is in a full fledged attack against drugs and the violence it fosters. For decades billions and billons of dollars have been justified through the infamous War on Drugs. The money and military activity have not been enough, and the “urban problem,” has not been solved. It is that the two governments do not have the strategic smarts to solve the problem? I found it amazing the United States has the largest demand of drugs in the world, so is technically our fault and are we to blame? While other countries also face the drug problem, The United States and Mexico has spent the most and its effectiveness more than any other country. The Mexican Drug War is an...
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...directly. According to Lee and History Guy Media the Mexican Drug War is an armed conflict between drug cartels and the Mexican Government. A drug cartel is defined as an illicit cartel formed to control the production and distribution of narcotic drugs. The mexican govt has attempted to crack down on different drug organizations by arresting leaders in the drug trade. In the CRS report for congress it states that Mexico is one of the highest producers and smugglers of cocaine, marijuana, and heroine due to its location geographically. Annually they make between 13 to 48 billion dollars from the US drug market. Violence is increasing as years go by with 8,500 lives taken this year alone which brings the total to nearly 30,000 lives since the beginning of the war. There are many known drug cartels in Mexico today. According to the Mexican Government there are seven cartels. The major cartels include the Tijuana, Gulf, Sinaloa, and Juarez. Mexican drug cartels now dominate the wholesale illicit drug market in the US. Many arrests of key leaders have led to increasing drug violence as these cartels fight for trafficking routes...
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