Robert C. Bonner
The headlines from
In the last two decades, Mexican drug cartels have acquired unprecedented power to corrupt and intimidate. Three factors account for their rise: preexisting corruption, the inability of weak law enforcement institutions to counter them, and the demand for illegal drugs in
Drug trafficking and cross-border smuggling certainly existed in
At first, the Mexican cartels acted primarily as transporters for the Colombian traffickers, but by the early 1990s they had created their own supply chain and distribution networks. Over the last two decades, the major cartels have evolved into vertically integrated, multinational criminal groups, headquartered in
During the 1990s, the governments of
Under Fox, there was a sharp increase in extraditions of drug traffickers to
The situation in
There are several lessons to be drawn from
Second, the goal must be clear. In
Third, a divide-and-conquer strategy can be effective. The Colombian government chose to attack one cartel at a time, rather than fighting a two-front war. Importantly,
In the longer term, law enforcement and judicial institutions must be reformed. Success in
Finally, extradition is essential. Imprisonment in
Available at Amazon.com:
At War with the Weather: Managing Large-Scale Risks in a New Era of Catastrophes
- Mexico: The New Cocaine Cowboys
- Under Santos Colombia Could Rise to the Next Level
- Autocrats' Latest Weapon: Indirect Censorship
- Latin America's Rich Should Be More Generous
- Castrocare in Crisis
- World Cup Soccer Can Have Political Impact
- Gulf Oil Spill Could Bring U.S. and Cuba Closer
- Colombia Vote Showed Social Media's Limits
- New Political Winds in Latin America
- Colombia: Moving Beyond 'Narco-Democracy'
- Is Colombia's Front-runner Too Romantic? Not Really
- Mexico has its own 'Arizona' problem
- Brazil Diplomacy Needed Closer to Home
- Hugo Chavez Ceding too Much Control to Cuba
- Cuban Cardinal Says Too Little Too Late
- The Starving Armenians
- Arizona's Anti-Immigrant Law Will Spark Hispanic Exodus
- Open Season on Latinos in Arizona
- Obama Criticism of Arizona Immigration Law Ignores Federal Incompetence
- Mexico's Big Hope: Get 5 Million U.S. Retirees
- U.S. Latin Policy: Big Gestures and Little Substance
- Latin America Must Diversify Trade With China
- Cuba After Fidel and Raul Castro
- Earthquake May Delay Chile's First World Goal
(C) 2010 Foreign Affairs