Someone help me understand what Mexicoâs U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza is thinking:
This is correct except for the part about how Calderón has to do this (no, he doesn't) and the part about how things will get better (no, they won't). Weâve heard all this a thousand times before and it just gets sillier every time. The bottom line is that cracking down on the cartels either works or it doesnât. It makes no sense to say that aggressive drug war policies will create violence in the short term, and then eventually that same approach will begin reducing bloodshed. Thatâs not logical.
The drug war causes violence. Just admit it. Stop pretending that itâs going to produce the opposite result at some point in the future. It isnât going to.
"Calderón must, and will, keep the pressure on the cartels, but look, let's not be naïve â there will be more violence, more blood, and, yes, things will get worse before they get better. That's the nature of the battle," Garza said. "The more pressure the cartels feel, the more they'll lash out like cornered animals." [Dallas Morning News]
This is correct except for the part about how Calderón has to do this (no, he doesn't) and the part about how things will get better (no, they won't). Weâve heard all this a thousand times before and it just gets sillier every time. The bottom line is that cracking down on the cartels either works or it doesnât. It makes no sense to say that aggressive drug war policies will create violence in the short term, and then eventually that same approach will begin reducing bloodshed. Thatâs not logical.
The drug war causes violence. Just admit it. Stop pretending that itâs going to produce the opposite result at some point in the future. It isnât going to.
Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.
Add new comment