The United States: A Failed Model

[unhappycamper]

How advanced does an army need to be to eliminate an enemy that is easily confused with the civilian population? The United States ... has not found the answer.


The United States: A Failed Model
El Universal, Mexico
By Editorial Staff
Translated By J'Lil Mitchell
15 March 2010
Edited by Harley Jackson

How advanced does an army need to be to eliminate an enemy that is easily confused with the civilian population? The United States, bearer of the most powerful armed forces on the planet, has not found the answer. Hence, it will leave a decimated Iraq, a discredited military with Iraqi public opinion in opposition to its occupation. It will leave the Middle East in favorable conditions for extremism: polarized, insecure and destitute. It unsurprisingly follows, then, that the United States is unable to stop narcotic trafficking in its own backyard. Several areas of Mexico, as well as our army, could suffer the same fate as Iraq if the climate of violence continues to endure any longer.

Ciudad Juarez is a classic example. Thousands of soldiers have failed to stop the extortion, abductions, assassinations, economic collapse, nightlife termination, etc. It makes sense up to a certain point, because it is not their responsibility to seek justice. Only a security force under civil command and bound by due process of the law can obtain it. Acapulco, Reynosa and Tampico seem to be going in the same direction.

Yet what does the United States do? It gives resources through the Mérida initiative to train police, while the Pentagon plans to augment the curriculum of Mexican soldiers with anti-drug training — a contradiction. Perhaps it was not the neighboring country’s state department that, on March 1, ordered that the police be professionalized so that the army no longer has to carry out tasks of public security. The United States should know by now: When soldiers linger among the civilian population, abuses proliferate and with them, the de-legitimization of the military. If the Pentagon is acting on the periphery of the White House, Barack Obama should concentrate on bringing his subordinates into line instead of sending out statements of indignation.

The United States does not appear to want its neighbor to learn the painful lesson that it has received by example. Because, although Mexico is different from Columbia or Afghanistan, there is something all armed conflicts have in common: the disintegration of the social fabric and the destabilization of its institutions. In the chaos, the law of the jungle always prevails; and it is those groups outside of the law — whether they are paramilitaries, gangs of narcotics traffickers or terrorists — who always reign.

Right now, Mexico should realize the fact that it cannot follow American guidelines. Our powerful neighbor is a horrible example to follow for two reasons: 1) It has been incapable, with all of its power, of stopping the trade of narcotics in Asia and Latin America, and 2) the high level of corruption of its officials on the border as well as the enormous addiction of its population to illicit drugs show that it is not prepared to take on the cost of a genuine war on drugs. It is never good to emulate losers.


Article at: http://watchingamerica.com/News/49545/the-united-states-a-failed-model/

[Echo In Light]

1. Chomsky: Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy

http://books.google.com/books?id=9p4A-omIdgYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=chomsky+failed+states&source=bl&ots=qoCm3c4BVk&sig=hVXs25fpBYRraewPSEjE29ABVPw&hl=en&ei=fhqmS6HYCYaBlAeNkYT1Ag&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CB4Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=&f=false

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. -

[pipoman]

3. I agree that the war on drugs

needs to be addressed right now while we have control of the Presidency and both Houses. Completely overhaul all of our objectives regarding Mexico and our own country regarding the war of drugs.

That said, the corruption in Mexico didn't spring up over night. It has been the 3000 lb gorilla for decades...even before the war on drugs.. The MO of the Mexican government has been to assign blame to the US at every turn. a good example would be the assigning of blame on the US for the guns being used by the cartels and gangsters. True some of the guns do in fact come from the US, but the fully automatic guns preferred by these gangs don't come from the US, they are coming by sea from all over the world, and mostly from Mexico's southern border. Yet, we still see stories regularly of these weapons coming from the US, to the point if one doesn't fully investigate, one would believe that all of the guns are coming for the US.

Bottom line, I am very skeptical of the party line in Mexico. They often use the US as their personal penny bank and virtually never meet the issues which cause their problems head on. Years of extreme poverty throughout Mexico, and a corrupt government which has exploited it's people couldn't be a failure which should be addressed? Why the exodus of Mexican citizens to the US for the last 3 or 4 decades? It had less to do with US foriegn policy regarding Mexico, than say, no property rights, no worker protections, excessive taxation with no reinvestment, and the list goes on and on..

Bottom line..Does the US share responsibility for the current issues in Mexico? Absolutely. But, IMO, it is more because US/Mexican policy never included any mandates requiring government reform in return for the river of aid which has flowed south for decades. This failing on the part of the US has caused more pain on the people of Mexico than the war on drugs, again IMHO.