Lines drawn in drug war
The Washington Post
Mexico City (AP) - The main candidates in Mexico's presi- dential election in two weeks are trying to look tough on the drug war, a central issue in the race, though they disagree whether U.S.-style solutions are needed.
The candidate who speaks most closely to Washington's concerns is conservative Felipe Calderon. He advocates extraditing more drug lords to the United States and replacing Mexico's secretive court system with open, U.S.-style trials.
Roberto Madrazo of the former ruling party claims the toughest law-and-order platform. One of his campaign ads depicts a criminal wetting his pants out of fear of Mr. Madrazo's proposals for stiffer sentencing. "Criminals can't play around with me," the candidate tells voters.
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a liberal running neck and neck with Mr. Calderon in the polls, has broken with the left's anti-military tradition by suggesting a bigger role for the army in fighting the drug trade. But he says poverty reduction is the only real way to fight crime, and remains largely silent about U.S.-style trials and extradition.
Taking on the cartels, even in campaign rhetoric, is a risky business in Mexico. With shootouts, executions and beheadings becoming more common in border cities such as Nuevo Laredo and resort areas such as Acapulco, candidates have to watch their backs.
Ana Maria Salazar, a former Pentagon counternarcotics official, noted that the candidates have refrained from singling out any cartels by name.
"There's a certain amount of reluctance to talk about drug-trafficking organizations," she said. In part, she said, that is because by talking about them "you increase the threat level against the candidate enormously."
U.S. border communities have been caught up in the war with Mexican cartels, as well as the booming industries of migrant-smuggling and kidnapping for ransom. All this has led the Bush administration to accuse Mexico's government of not fighting back hard enough.
Mr. Calderon, of the ruling National Action Party, seems to speak to those concerns. He also advocates a more unified police command and increased investigation and intelligence work, like police in the United States.
"We can free cities like Tijuana, Nuevo Laredo or Acapulco from this cancer before it eats away our society," he said during a televised debate on June 6.
Mr. Calderon urged life sentences for kidnappers. Mexico currently does not impose life sentences for any crime.
Mr. Madrazo of the former ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, running third in polls, echoes Mr. Calderon's call for changing the trial system so attorneys can argue cases in open court.
Under the current system, attorneys submit documents to a judge who reads them and reaches a verdict behind closed doors. The secrecy is prone to corruption and bungling, and doesn't inspire public confidence.
Mr. Lopez Obrador, candidate of the Democratic Revolution Party, argues for creating jobs, reducing poverty and sending more Mexicans to college to reduce the lure of crime.
"I don't think you can make much progress with prisons or threats of heavy-handed approaches and tougher laws," he said. He adds that the drug cartels are so well-armed that the army is the only force that can handle traffickers.
In April, suspected drug hit men in Acapulco decapitated two police officers who had participated in a shootout with traffickers, and left the severed heads at the scene with a note saying: "So that you learn some respect."
The most recent police figures for federal crimes show that drug trafficking and weapons possession rose 12 percent between 2001 and 2004. Police are widely perceived to be ineffective and corrupt.
When Mexico City businessman Hugo Alberto Wallace was kidnapped last July, it was his mother, Maria Isabel Miranda, who led the investigation into his disappearance, frustrated with the slow pace of the official search. She even led police to suspects.
Analysts say the main problem is disorganization and lack of investigative powers among Mexico's municipal, state and federal police agencies, most of which are ill-trained and uncoordinated.
Genaro Garcia, head of the Mexican equivalent of the FBI, highlighted the problem last month in a book sarcastically titled "Why 1,661 Police Forces Are Not Enough."
Mr. Madrazo and Mr. Calderon have floated proposals to unify police forces and create intelligence centers. Outgoing President Vicente Fox made a similar promise while campaigning for office six years ago, but made little progress.
By Mark Stevenson
Mexico City (AP) - The main candidates in Mexico's presi- dential election in two weeks are trying to look tough on the drug war, a central issue in the race, though they disagree whether U.S.-style solutions are needed.
The candidate who speaks most closely to Washington's concerns is conservative Felipe Calderon. He advocates extraditing more drug lords to the United States and replacing Mexico's secretive court system with open, U.S.-style trials.
Roberto Madrazo of the former ruling party claims the toughest law-and-order platform. One of his campaign ads depicts a criminal wetting his pants out of fear of Mr. Madrazo's proposals for stiffer sentencing. "Criminals can't play around with me," the candidate tells voters.
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a liberal running neck and neck with Mr. Calderon in the polls, has broken with the left's anti-military tradition by suggesting a bigger role for the army in fighting the drug trade. But he says poverty reduction is the only real way to fight crime, and remains largely silent about U.S.-style trials and extradition.
Taking on the cartels, even in campaign rhetoric, is a risky business in Mexico. With shootouts, executions and beheadings becoming more common in border cities such as Nuevo Laredo and resort areas such as Acapulco, candidates have to watch their backs.
Ana Maria Salazar, a former Pentagon counternarcotics official, noted that the candidates have refrained from singling out any cartels by name.
"There's a certain amount of reluctance to talk about drug-trafficking organizations," she said. In part, she said, that is because by talking about them "you increase the threat level against the candidate enormously."
U.S. border communities have been caught up in the war with Mexican cartels, as well as the booming industries of migrant-smuggling and kidnapping for ransom. All this has led the Bush administration to accuse Mexico's government of not fighting back hard enough.
Mr. Calderon, of the ruling National Action Party, seems to speak to those concerns. He also advocates a more unified police command and increased investigation and intelligence work, like police in the United States.
"We can free cities like Tijuana, Nuevo Laredo or Acapulco from this cancer before it eats away our society," he said during a televised debate on June 6.
Mr. Calderon urged life sentences for kidnappers. Mexico currently does not impose life sentences for any crime.
Mr. Madrazo of the former ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, running third in polls, echoes Mr. Calderon's call for changing the trial system so attorneys can argue cases in open court.
Under the current system, attorneys submit documents to a judge who reads them and reaches a verdict behind closed doors. The secrecy is prone to corruption and bungling, and doesn't inspire public confidence.
Mr. Lopez Obrador, candidate of the Democratic Revolution Party, argues for creating jobs, reducing poverty and sending more Mexicans to college to reduce the lure of crime.
"I don't think you can make much progress with prisons or threats of heavy-handed approaches and tougher laws," he said. He adds that the drug cartels are so well-armed that the army is the only force that can handle traffickers.
In April, suspected drug hit men in Acapulco decapitated two police officers who had participated in a shootout with traffickers, and left the severed heads at the scene with a note saying: "So that you learn some respect."
The most recent police figures for federal crimes show that drug trafficking and weapons possession rose 12 percent between 2001 and 2004. Police are widely perceived to be ineffective and corrupt.
When Mexico City businessman Hugo Alberto Wallace was kidnapped last July, it was his mother, Maria Isabel Miranda, who led the investigation into his disappearance, frustrated with the slow pace of the official search. She even led police to suspects.
Analysts say the main problem is disorganization and lack of investigative powers among Mexico's municipal, state and federal police agencies, most of which are ill-trained and uncoordinated.
Genaro Garcia, head of the Mexican equivalent of the FBI, highlighted the problem last month in a book sarcastically titled "Why 1,661 Police Forces Are Not Enough."
Mr. Madrazo and Mr. Calderon have floated proposals to unify police forces and create intelligence centers. Outgoing President Vicente Fox made a similar promise while campaigning for office six years ago, but made little progress.
By Mark Stevenson
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