Revisiting the Merida Initiative
Abstract
Lauded as unprecedented when signed in 2008, the Merida Initiative is a bilateral United States-Mexico effort to combat drug related violence in Mexico. Founded on four strategic pillars 1) disrupt capacity of organized crime to operate, 2) institutionalize capacity to sustain rule of law, 3) create a 21st Century border structure, and 4) build strong and resilient communities, Merida was designed to attack the underlying conditions that offered a permissive environment for drug related crime. However, despite its multi-billion-dollar price tag, what followed is more than a decade of increasing violence in Mexico, and even higher drug trafficking and associated deaths in the United States. In answering where the initiative went wrong, this paper briefly outlines the effectiveness of these pillars, and identifies detracting conditions not addressed in Merida. Finally, three recommendations are offered which provide a manageable way forward for bilateral success.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 26, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1108167
Entities
People
- Leslie Fambrough
Organizations
- Air War College