Mexico Killings Point to Risks of U.S. Cooperation in Drug War

Crayton Harrison
Bloomberg
March 15, 2010

The killing of three people connected with the U.S. consulate in Ciudad Juarez over the weekend shows that U.S. cooperation in Mexico’s fight against drug cartels has made U.S. government employees targets of the traffickers, said a senior policy director of the Council of the Americas.

U.S. diplomats may negotiate a greater presence for their own law enforcement officials in Mexico to protect government employees after the March 13 deaths, said Christopher Sabatini of the council. While it’s unclear whether the shootings imply a greater risk for U.S. civilians, the violence does put another dent in Mexico’s tourism industry, he said.

The U.S. is aiding Mexican President Felipe Calderon’s war against drug traffickers through the Merida Initiative, a three- year, $1.6 billion regional assistance package including helicopters and police training. Still, U.S. officials have been careful to avoid the appearance of meddling in Mexican government affairs, Sabatini said by phone from New York.

“This changes the game,” Sabatini, a senior policy director at the council, said. The council represents companies such as Coca-Cola Co. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. doing business in the region. “Now that U.S. citizens, clearly U.S. government officials, have been targeted, there’s going to be less confidence that the Mexican authorities can do it themselves.”

To read the entire article, click here.

To speak with one of our experts on this topic, call 212-277-8384 or email communications@as-coa.org.

See more in:  Mexico, Security, Rule of Law