U.S. Army War College >> Strategic Studies Institute >> Publications >> Details

Mexico's Narco-Insurgency and U.S. Counterdrug Policy

Authored by Dr. Hal Brands.

Brief Synopsis

In late 2007, the U.S. and Mexican governments unveiled the Merida Initiative. A 3-year, $1.4 billion counternarcotics assistance program, the Merida Initiative is designed to combat the drug-fueled violence that has ravaged Mexico of late. The initiative aims to strengthen the Mexican police and military, permitting them to take the offensive in the fight against Mexico’s powerful cartels. As currently designed, however, the Merida Initiative is unlikely to have a meaningful, long-term impact in restraining the drug trade and drug-related violence. Focussing largely on security, enforcement, and interdiction issues, it pays comparatively little attention to the deeper structural problems that fuel these destructive phenomena. These problems, ranging from official corruption to U.S. domestic drug consumption, have so far frustrated Mexican attempts to rein in the cartels, and will likely hinder the effectiveness of the Merida Initiative as well. To make U.S. counternarcotics policy fully effective, it will be imperative to forge a more holistic, better-integrated approach to the “war on drugs.”

You may also be interested in the following titles:

• 
  Indian and Chinese Engagement in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Comparative Assessment

• 
  Honduras: A Pariah State, or Innovative Solutions to Organized Crime Deserving U.S. Support?

• 
  The New Russian Engagement with Latin America: Strategic Position, Commerce, and Dreams of the Past

• 
  The Evolution of Los Zetas in Mexico and Central America: Sadism as an Instrument of Cartel Warfare

• 
  2013-14 Key Strategic Issues List

• 
  Cartel Car Bombings in Mexico

• 
  Insanity: Four Decades of U.S. Counterdrug Strategy

• 
  Venezuela as an Exporter of 4th Generation Warfare Instability

Survey: Mexico's Narco-Insurgency and U.S. Counterdrug Policy

1. How would you rate the writing and overall quality? (5 best - 1 Worst)

12345

N/A

2. Is the content relevant for influencing present and future debates?

YesNoNo Opinion

Your Comments (No URLs Allowed):

If you'd like a reply to your comments, provide your email:
(optional)

Also by the Author/Editor:

The Limits of Offshore Balancing
The Promise and Pitfalls of Grand Strategy
Dilemmas of Brazilian Grand Strategy
Crime, Violence, and the Crisis in Guatemala: A Case Study in the Erosion of the State
Dealing with Political Ferment in Latin America: The Populist Revival, the Emergence of the Center, and Implications for U.S. Policy

View other pubs in the following categories:

Western Hemisphere
Mexico