In the year 2006 Felipe Calderon became president of Mexico
and promised the people of Mexico he would fight the drug cartels. This war on
drugs doesn’t involve only Mexico but also the United States as well because
the U.S actually helps fund the program. Since Calderon’s presidency crime
rates have increased dramatically. As we begin to investigate further it seems
that the war on drugs brings light to the political corruption situated in
Mexico.
Currently there are various drug cartels in Mexico. However,
the top two cartels are the Sinaloa Federation and Los Zetas. The reason as to
why they are the top two is because they currently dominate most of Mexico’s
territory and are the most violent. For example, Los Zetas are established in
17 states while the Sinaloa Federation is established in 16 states. This
presents itself as an issue because as they struggle for power within Mexico
they attack each other, the Mexican army, and sometimes civilians who are
suspected of participating in some way.
The reason why this issue is relevant to global politics is
because the corruption within the politics of Mexico can easily influence the
politics of other countries surrounding Mexico. For instance, the drug cartels
are gaining power and are beginning to eliminate the justice system and
organization that politics and government is supposed to provide within its
country. With the demolition of Mexico’s political system other political
systems may suffer as well and even begin to acquire the same inability to do
anything about the drug cartels, if they wait too late. For example, according
to a Gangland documentary, Laredo, Texas, has already become the territory of
Los Zetas who have begun to terrorize the region grossly overwhelming the
abilities of local law enforcement.
Statsna Kazi (2013 July 17) How much are Mexico’s brutal drug
cartels worth? CBC News World Retrieved August 03, 2013 from http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/07/16/f-mexico-drug-cartels.html
Jay, Paul and Karlin, Mark (2012,
September 16) The US War on Drug Cartels in Mexico is a Deadly Failure Truth out
Retrieved August 03,2013 from http://truth-out.org/news/item/11569-the-us-war-on-drug-cartels-in-mexico-is-a-deadly-failure
Rawlins Aimee (2013, January 11)
Mexico’s Drug War
Council on Foreign Relations Retrieved
August 03, 2013 from http://www.cfr.org/mexico/mexicos-drug-war/p13689 
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