Antonio Garza: Mexico is rich with promise as well as challenges

The Dallas Morning News
September 15, 2010

Clearly, Mexico faces real obstacles to security and prosperity. And I'm not naïve: Many are made more difficult to surmount as much by virtue of nascent institutions and endemic corruption as by U.S. demand for illicit drugs and the flow of arms south.

Mexico cannot overcome many of these challenges alone.

Still, there are success stories. Last month's capture of one of the world's most infamous reputed drug kingpins, Edgar "La Barbie" Valdez Villarreal, is clearly a political and security coup for President Felipe Calderón. But, these successes are certainly tempered by the recent tragic deaths of 72 migrants in Tamaulipas, underscoring the brutal and long-term nature of this fight.

Mexico's secretary of public security, Genaro García Luna, wrote in Americas Quarterly that he remains steadfast in his commitment to building the type of institutions necessary for the long-term benefit of the country. His decision to dismiss 3,000 police officers for failing to meet the country's new standards for professionalism and integrity is proof of his resolve.

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