Mexico's Growing Insurgency and the U.S. Response
Abstract
In many ways, Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) represent an insurgency that threatens the stability of both the U.S. and Mexico. To the TCOs, terrorist activities are a means to an end. Currently, the ability of the TCOs to operate freely along the border demonstrates a breach of both U.S. and Mexico national sovereignty; major seams exist in the U.S. defenses. The inability of the government to determine if the TCO problem is a law enforcement or military problem makes it impossible to fully synchronize or appropriate the requisite funding or resources to combat the problem. The U.S. currently utilizes a wide array of measures to limit the influence of TCOs and drug cartels on the American way of life. However, certain laws and policies prevent the U.S. from bringing full capabilities to bear on the problem. Specifically, the U.S. must strategically redefine how it classifies TCO/cartel activities, must modify the Posse Comitatus Act, and after exhausting all alternative solutions, apply kinetic solutions to TCO/cartel safe havens and activities in Mexico. Critics of this proposal in the U.S. will argue the importance of Posse Comitatus and the protection that the law provides citizens against the potential abuses of a rogue military. Some will argue that the activities of TCOs or Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs) do not warrant a pre-meditated, preemptive military strike against a sovereign nation, especially an ally of the U.S. Finally, the potential for mistakes or collateral damage threaten to aggravate the situation further; military operations become extremely complex when attacking a congested urban area or village. Despite
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 04, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA545907
Entities
People
- David A. Barber
Organizations
- Naval War College