The United States and Mexico: The Neglected Relationship
Abstract
Mexico is in a violent struggle for existence. Powerful Mexican drug cartels use narco-terrorism to undermine Mexican efforts to reform governance and reestablish internal security. The violence routinely affects U.S. border cities and threatens to expand to broader U.S. areas. The U.S. and Mexico relationship has significantly improved over the past few years; however, the U.S. still neglects Mexico choosing to put a higher priority on addressing other issues outside of North America. Mexico is a first line of defense for the U.S. against crime, drugs, terrorism, arms trafficking, and human trafficking. In the midst of a massive Mexican offensive against the drug cartels, Mexico faces the very real possibility of failing as a state. Mexico is at the edge of a transformational period, politically. The U.S. has a vested interest in supporting Mexican efforts to improve security and economic prosperity. The U.S. must continue broad interagency support of Mexico by continuing to expand on current programs such as the $1.4 billion Merida Initiative. U.S. failure to recognize the severity of the Mexican situation and take aggressive steps to assist the Mexican government, could contribute to a failed Mexican state and ultimately impact U.S. National Security.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 23, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA494714
Entities
People
- John Blankenbaker
Organizations
- United States Army War College