The Impact of President Felipe Calderon's War on Drugs on the Armed Forces: The Prospects for Mexico's "Militarization" and Bilateral Relations
Abstract
Respondents to public opinion polls have long ranked the Army among Mexico's most respected institutions, along with the Roman Catholic Church and universities. There has not been a president with a military background since 1946, no retired or active duty officers hold a governorship, and -- above all -- the armed forces obey civilian leaders. Unlike many Latin American nations, Mexico has not suffered a coup d'etat for nearly 100 years. In the absence of honest, professional civilian law enforcement agencies, President Felipe Calderon assigned the military the lead role in his nation's version of the "War on Drugs" that he launched in 2006. While the armed forces have spearheaded the capture and/or death of several dozen cartel capos, the conflict has taken its toll on the organizations in terms of deaths, corruption, desertions, and charges by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) of hundreds of human rights violations. The nation's Supreme Court has taken the first step in requiring that officers and enlistees accused of crimes against civilians stand trial in civil courts rather than hermetic military tribunals. This monograph explores whether Mexico's protracted drug war has "militarized" the country. In the United States, when politicians cannot resolve a thorny issue such as teenage pregnancies, drug abuse, obesity, poor nutrition, environmental awareness, latch-key youngsters, etc., they often assign responsibility to the public schools. Such is the case of Mexican leaders with respect to criminality. In many cases, they have either expanded existing functions carried out by the Ministry of National Defense (SEDENA) and the Navy Ministry (SEMAR), or thrust new tasks upon them. Dr. George W. Grayson examines the ever wider involvement of the armed forces in Mexican life in addressing the question: "Is Mexican society being 'militarized'?" If the answer is "yes," what will be the probable impact on relations between the United States and its southern neighbor?
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA580362
Entities
People
- George W. Grayson
Organizations
- United States Army War College