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Opinions/Editorials Title: Conservative Madness in Mexico Apparently, Mexico57;s new conservative president-elect is deriving his strategy for fighting the War on Drugs directly from America57;s list of failed and utterly destructive narcotic enforcement policies. Felipe Calderon, the winner of Mexico57;s recent presidential election and a resident of one of Mexico57;s most violent cities, has pledged to fight drug traffickers and cartels by "training police officers better, reforming the justice system and forming a national data base to fight crime." In further imitation of America57;s propensity for state coercion as the remedy for all social problems, he has also promised to bolster the country57;s military forces to counter the sheer might of the drug cartels, whose campaigns of violence against competitors, law enforcement, government officials, and civilians have killed thousands since the inception of America57;s 51; and by proxy the world57;s 51; War on Drugs. Just when one may have begun to hope that the futility and irrationality of America57;s campaign to eliminate illegal drugs were beginning to resonate in mainstream society, Mexico embraces one of the most destructive of all our social policies. In a country where the number of drug-related murders dwarfs that of America 51; needless to say, an impressive achievement in its own right 51; it simply boggles the mind to imagine how the people of the country can possibly subscribe to their President57;s plan to use the same tools and policies that have not only failed miserably to stem drug trafficking and use in this country, but have greatly exacerbated the problem. Indeed, the more a nation increases state coercion and imposes stricter penalties on illegal drugs, the more the illegal drug market becomes emboldened. Demand for the drug stays the same, but the price 51; and thus value 51; of the illegal substance rises, causing increased competition, which coupled with an illegal, unregulated black market, results in more violence and societal breakdown. Nevertheless, in a country notorious for police ineptitude and corruption, Mexico plans to alleviate the most corrupting force in society by increasing the number of state police officers. Not only does Mexico57;s president lack the actual means to curb the power of the drug cartels, he completely ignores how such counter-intuitive policies have destroyed his country57;s infrastructure and made possible such lawlessness and violence. Because of Mexico57;s location at the hub of the world57;s most lucrative drug market, competing cartels have always fought for control and hegemony over the flow of cash and drugs that passes through the area. No police force, no matter how large or determined, can compete with such powerful cartels amidst the anarchy that results from criminalizing substances whose demand will never cease to be so high. The results of this decade-long war on drugs have entrenched the illegal drug trade so deep into Mexican society that it affects almost every facet of the country. Massive cartels lure youths away from otherwise more productive jobs in society, thus dividing the country into competing entities, spurring more of their affiliates to take up arms against each other. The massive flow of cash and drugs also facilitates corruption, often prompting local officials into becoming heads or partners with the local drug lords. Because the illegal drug-trade has become so institutionalized in Mexican society, criminal factions yield more power than the state, and are hence able to set their own rules, resulting in lawlessness, the inability for strong civil bonds to develop in communities, and the further dissipation of stability. When gangs are actually taking out newspaper ads advocating their law over that of the state authority, as happened in Michoacan, it becomes readily apparent that the government can no longer act as a force for positive change. Though Calderon, like any intelligent, rational human being, is undoubtedly aware that simply employing more troops to fight the influence of the drug cartels will only aggravate the situation and lead to more death, one must wonder what would drive him to endorse such policies. When American politicians advocate the War on Drugs, they see it as a means of increasing their legislative authority as well as an excuse to create more "pork" for the benefit of the special interests that support them. However, in the case of Mexico, where an impoverished and debt-ridden government can ill-afford to squander such desperately needed funds on counter-productive policies, and where actually fighting the drug cartels will only weaken his authority and possibly lead to all-out war, the government reaps few benefits from promulgating and bolstering an already proven unsuccessful program. Like most countries that depend so heavily on American financial assistance, Mexican policy on illegal drugs is without a doubt geared to satisfying and emulating America57;s line of zero tolerance as the only way to combat illegal drug use. Last April, Mexican legislatures almost passed a bill to legalize small mounts of illegal drugs for personal use, and was ready to be signed into law by then president Vicente Fox, only to be vetoed days later, no doubt at the bequest of bureaucrats in Washington. Not only does this "export" of our values and beliefs infringe on the sovereignty of other nations, it forces them to adopt counterproductive and harmful policies. Needless to say that as long as the demand for cocaine and other illegal drugs remains as steadfast as it has in years, Mexico will continue to be overridden with violent gangs and corrupt officials, thus forever consigning them to a perpetual cycle of a criminal culture. Granted that solving the complex issue of drug use and addiction is multi-faceted and anything but simple, one thing that has made itself overtly clear over the years is that state intervention provides the conditions for the drug-market to flourish, and as such, more of it should not be sought out as the solution. December 13, 2006 Scott Ratner [send him mail] is a sophomore government and history major at the University of Maryland.
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