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"Es una guerra"

These are the words chosen by Mexico's president, Felipe Calderon to describe the situation just south of us.

Mexico's war on drugs.

The Los Angeles Times reported recently that the death toll in that war so far has been tallied at 6,836. And that is only since April 2007 when Mexican President Felipe Calderon declared war on drug traffickers.

Calderon has scored a few victories, some successful raids on drug-trafficking strongholds have yielded positive results. Capos and bosses are behind bars thanks to the work of the Federal Police, the DEA and other agencies.

But the losses continue to mount as civilians and law enforcement official continue to lose their lives in this war.  

The war has changed other things in Mexico, tourists and even its nationals feel unsafe when travelling to or in Mexico.

A local business owner and friend said that he is very concerned about going back to his hometown over the holidays as drug traffickers and all types of ground pirates pose a threat to him and his family who will travel through some battered sections of the Mexican mainland. Part of his trek will take him through 4 hours of what he described as "nothing but desert" where he will be completely on his own. No 911 or any emergency service available.

Our current financial crisis may have sent some issues like immigration to the back burner of this nation's attention, but I know there are folks out there who feel that US border would be safer if Mexico could get their drug trafficking problems in check. I also know that Calderon and his government have recieved generous help from the Bush administration to aid with this and other ills. But at some point one has to stop and think, is there any other way in which we could stop the fighting?

I'm not calling for extreme measures here, but truly, is Calderon fighting a war he can win? And what exactly would be called a win in this situation?

For those interested in more information, the Los Angeles Times has an interesting webpage with information on this war to our south. It can be viewed here 

I sure hope my friend can make it back from visiting his pueblo.

Posted by Maurel Merette at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)