Will Mexico Become A Failed State?

[Dillinger4]

I am aware there's very dark things going on in Mexico right now, especially Cuidad Juarez. There was a story a few months ago so disturbing that though I considered posting about it on urban, I decided not too. Basically about men from the US coming to Mexico and involving themselves with the disappearances, rapes and murders of Mexican women with the Mexican police being in on it, as if some sort of sport for the rich such as you might find in the most ridiculous Van Dam movie.

This beside the bodies found, the shootings, the kidnappings. Cuidad Juarez is more dangerous than Bagdad right now, the only thing missing is the suicide bombings.

That does happen. Everyone is in on it.

 

[camouflage]

Unnerving to think that Mexico provides us with a glimpse of the kind of future most countries can look forward to-including this one.

I disagree (assuming you're talking about the UK).

One of Mexico's many problems, aside from NAFTA and endemic corruption etc, is the constant tsunami of small-arms pouring in over the border from the US. Guns, money and subsidized Monsantoised corn flood one way, people and drugs flow the other.

Countries fuck up in their own way reflecting their own geographical, demographical, cultural and economic situations. But then again how would any 'developing nation' fair with the USA sitting on its head...

Anyway it's all a vicious trapezoid or something of economic domination, poverty, corruption, drugs transit, weapons, murder and cheap labor.

 

[Random]

The story of the drug war as reported in the media seems to usually start with the latest president's assault on the big cartel, which destabilised the situation and caused the infighting, etc. But how did the cartels get so big in the first place? Surely they must have had cosy deals with the local state, or with the local big landlords?

 

[Bernie Gunther]

You could reasonably argue the origins are in the debt crisis of the early 80's and the subsequent IMF-induced horror.

 

[Random]

The cartels were the much talked about third sector, eh?

 

[Bernie Gunther]

The cartels were the much talked about third sector, eh?

Well, they've probably got more dosh than e.g. Save the Children ...

 

[LLETSA]

I disagree (assuming you're talking about the UK).

One of Mexico's many problems, aside from NAFTA and endemic corruption etc, is the constant tsunami of small-arms pouring in over the border from the US. Guns, money and subsidized Monsantoised corn flood one way, people and drugs flow the other.

Countries fuck up in their own way reflecting their own geographical, demographical, cultural and economic situations. But then again how would any 'developing nation' fair with the USA sitting on its head...

Anyway it's all a vicious trapezoid or something of economic domination, poverty, corruption, drugs transit, weapons, murder and cheap labor.

I didn't necessarily mean all countries would resemble Mexico. I just can't help thinking that when the state starts to become dysfunctional under the impact of the coming crises in energy and the environment (whenever these begin to really bite), organised crime is the force most likely to fill the gap-to the extent that, as in Mexico, it will begin to challenge the state.

 

[phildwyer]

I didn't necessarily mean all countries would resemble Mexico. I just can't help thinking that when the state starts to become dysfunctional under the impact of the coming crises in energy and the environment (whenever these begin to really bite), organised crime is the force most likely to fill the gap-to the extent that, as in Mexico, it will begin to challenge the state.

It's not really challenging the state, so much as becoming the state.

And how much difference is there between Calderon and the drug cartels and Obama and the oil companies? Calderon stole the election, but no more blatantly than Bush.

The dystopia you predict is already here.

 

[Casually Red]

Yep. The cartels run the north, the rebels run much of the south. One wonders whether any alliances have been, could be or should be formed between these non-state actors.

Doubtful in the extreme . The main players in these drug wars are the Zetas , who in the main are made up of very highly trained killers / special forces the US government sponsored and created to put down left wing agitation in Latin America . Theyre sluaghtering people by the thousand in the naked persuit of profit . Its highly unlikely they envisage a future where their profits are expropriated by popular committees and diverted towards the poor .
Its much more likely in the event of leftist groups becoming a bigger threat to the state than the Zetas the state and the Zetas would mend fences and do a Guatemala on the leftists . As they were created to do . Theyve also joined forces wih ex Guatamelan Kabiles special forces . So its even more unlikely .

 

[Random]

The main players in these drug wars are the Zetas , who in the main are made up of very highly trained killers / special forces the US government sponsored and created to put down left wing agitation in Latin America .

I suspected this was a part of it. And now the guerilla threat is gone the Mexican state is turning on its former goons?

 

[Casually Red]

while its former goons are importing even more Guatemalan goons to make up the numbers . These genocidal fascist fuckos

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaibiles