HispanicVista Columnists

Although our thinking is to not let México become a path for terrorists on the way to the US, México itself could very well be a target in the worldwide expanding terror war someday. We are a friend of the US and they are our largest tracing partner. We are a major supplier of US oil, giving the Islamic fundamentalists another way to attack the US. And, most of all, we are a basically Christian country with strong Christian values that are in direct conflict with the Islamic fundamentalists . . . In other words; we are a country of "infidels" in their eyes. And the scope of the Islamic fundamentalists is world wide and very broad. They want to kill infidels anywhere and any time that they can.

That said, we are also engaged in our own private war against terrorism. Namely, the dope war that only escalates as we try to fight it. Some analysts say outright that the Mexican dope war is an abject failure. Even after putting federal agents and our army in critical areas of the border, the killings and traffic just keeps going on as before. In short, our enemy is stronger than we are. But the bottom line is that in fact, we are fighting someone else's war. Namely the powerful dope market in the US.

To put this in perspective, the cost to the US of the drug business follows (using US government figures): drug trafficking related homicides per year, 1,000 (about 5% of all homicides committed); drug "induced" deaths per year, 10,400; total cost to society around 100 billion dollars per year, without including enforcement costs. These numbers reflect up to the year 2000, and they have been steadily rising.

As stated before, in the last 5 years, México has arrested 46,000 people in the drug business here. This includes 15 cartel leaders, 70 under bosses, 256 hit men and 166 corrupt officials. And more than 97 tons of cocaine has been seized. Yet there has been no noticeable drop in the drug flow north to the US. In fact, street drug prices in the US are in decline according to a recent UN report. But in a business this lucrative, for every drug lord arrested, there are three more waiting to take his place.

Our editor, Patrick Osio Jr. in his column of 20 June, points out one way to reduce the drug demand, the root of the real problem in the US. As Osio states, the only solution of the problem is to cut off the market. Some others are even talking about limited legalization, which is political suicide of course. But then, if the US cannot control their own interior market, how can México, with their limited resources, be expected to do the job for them?

We should not forget the human cost in México either. This includes more than 200 police and soldiers killed in this war along with a significant rising cost to the Mexican government. We won't mention the drug people killed . . . good riddance.

With all of the killings and breakdown of the law in México due to the drug business along with the increasing local distribution of "leaking drug product" here, there is an increasing call for changing the Mexican position on the drug war. Some are even asking for a return to the old policy of just "pretending to fight" an unwinnable war and make peace with the drug lords. With violence spiraling out of control, the ramping up this war in México is in danger of us becoming another Columbia. As it is, we see more news analysts declaring México as the next "narcostate."

If the US is really serious about the drug problem, not only should they be taking real steps to shut down the market, but to be offering some help to México to continue the war here. We look at the money going to Columbia to cut down the producer end of the business, why not some help to combat the transit end of the business?

Dave Murray, who is with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy is quoted, "It's been a horrendous fight for them [México]. We have to salute their willingness to take on this fight."

Clear thinking people here reject the return to the "just pretending to fight" option as ill advised. We have enough "leaking product" in México as it is. And would México be better off with the increased corruption that would result of a "deal" with the drug business? I think not.

But just like the immigration issue, this problem can only be solved with real cooperation between both countries. In this case, México has been doing their share to fight the problem. And for this, I feel that it is reasonable for the US to give some aid to México to fight what is basically a US problem. For both of our good.

And solving this problem could do a whale of a lot in reducing the US federal budget deficit.
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Richard N. Baldwin T., a HispanicVista.com (http://www.hispanicvista.com/) contributing columnist, lives in Tlalnepantla, Edo de México. E-mail at: R1041643422@aol.com