Veracruz: A Lost Battle in the "War On Drugs"

In 2006, Mexican President Felipe Calderon declared the war on drugs, and so far, not much progress has been made. As indicated by this article and many similar to it, the violence has actually been rising. According to BBC News, Veracruz "had been spared much of the drug-related crime that has afflicted other regions of Mexico, but has recently witnessed an escalation of violence." Becca Feddor. Luckily, this incident has so far been reported that the only victims of murder were those with previous criminal records, but any escalation of violence means that civilians are going to be in higher danger as well. Much criticism has been drawn to President Calderon's aggressive methods of using the military to fight fire with fire. In particular, political cartoonists, such as Jose Hernandez and Antonio Helguera, are using their positions in the media to draw attention to the failings of the war in drugs, in particular the fact that at least 40,000 people have died since it was declared, which was 2006.

So is fighting violence with more violence the answer to winning this war? President Calderon is really in an unfortunate position; he needs to protect his citizens while trying to oust illegal drug cartels that have no respect for the law or for civilian lives. As these cartels continue to expand globally, perhaps President Calderon needs to invest his war efforts into international negotiation with other countries through a more legislation based reform rather than a reform centered around violence.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-14998500