{"id":13152,"date":"2012-12-05T20:56:36","date_gmt":"2012-12-06T01:56:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=13152"},"modified":"2012-12-05T20:58:17","modified_gmt":"2012-12-06T01:58:17","slug":"enrique-pena-nieto-and-a-change-in-security-policy-for-mexicos-drug-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=13152","title":{"rendered":"Enrique Pena Nieto and a Change in Security Policy for Mexico’s Drug War"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Taylor Dibbert<\/strong><\/p>\n

O<\/strong>n December 1, Enrique Pe\u00f1a Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) assumed the Mexican presidency amid a flurry of protests against the party, whose previous 70-year rule defined the country\u2019s authoritarian past.<\/p>\n

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Mexico’s newly sworn-in President, Enrique Pena Nieto, waves to the audience after delivering his inaugural speech at the National Palace in Mexico City on Saturday ~ AP pic ~ courtesy of: The Hindu<\/p><\/div>\n

Yet it\u2019s difficult to imagine that the new president\u2019s term could be worse than the unmitigated disaster of his predecessor\u2019s, which was marked by a dramatic militarization of Mexico\u2019s drug war, widespread human rights abuses, and tens of thousands of deaths.
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\nAware of pervasive war weariness in Mexico, Pe\u00f1a Nieto has offered mild improvements over outgoing President Felipe Calder\u00f3n\u2019s approach to drug violence. According to CNN, the new president \u201chas pledged to focus more on reducing violence and less on catching cartel leaders and blocking drugs from reaching the United States,\u201d a policy that could reduce the violence associated with the power vacuums left by killed or captured kingpins.<\/p>\n

More recently, a top Pe\u00f1a Nieto advisor also intimated that the legalization of marijuana use in the U.S. states of Colorado and Washington could augur changes in Mexican drug policy as well.<\/p>\n

Ostensibly, these are positive developments.<\/p>\n

But Pe\u00f1a Nieto has to do a better job of ensuring that human rights violators (particularly in the military) are held accountable for their actions\u2014especially since he has already announced that the military will continue be a part of Mexico\u2019s law enforcement apparatus for the foreseeable future, disappointing many human rights activists.<\/p>\n

Ominously, he has also advocated for a large paramilitary force to combat the country\u2019s drug violence\u2014a troubling signal in a region where such groups don\u2019t exactly have a track record of prudence or evenhandedness. And practically speaking, getting a force like that together will not happen quickly, again reinforcing the notion that the Mexican military will be policing the streets for the foreseeable future. It\u2019s a bad idea.<\/p>\n

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Pe\u00f1a Nieto would be wise to heed the calls for a change in security policy. That could start with more modest efforts at police reform; a divided congress does not justify six more years of gridlock. Small success on this front could shake up Mexican politics and send the message that the new president is more of a reformist than his critics\u2014and there are many\u2014would have believed. Daniel Sabet has argued that efforts at police reform should focus on \u201cprofessionalization,\u201d emphasizing \u201cmerit pay, rigorous selection, training, and accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stratfor analyst Scott Stewart has added that such reforms should not lose sight of other \u201cprofound economic, sociological and cultural issues.\u201d Poverty, after all, gives people a strong incentive to join gangs and get involved with drug trafficking in the first place. Latin America is still the most equal region in the world, and economic disparities in Mexico are worse than the regional average. And extending well beyond the country\u2019s police force, Mexico\u2019s culture of corruption is another aspect of this dilemma that cannot be neglected.<\/p>\n

Although the Obama administration has largely ignored Latin America, Washington still wields considerable influence in the region. Since significant changes in U.S. drug policy in the next four years appear unlikely (at least at the federal level), President Obama must pursue other options to deal with drug violence and state-sponsored indiscretions in places like Mexico.<\/p>\n

Since the day he said he would close Guant\u00e1namo Bay, Obama has been a human-rights disappointment himself. Drone strikes and other troubling \u201ccounterterrorism\u201d policies probably will not change during his second term. Nevertheless, Obama has a chance to get Mexico right by advocating for policy changes and pressuring Mexico\u2019s incoming president on human rights.<\/p>\n

The administration should immediately put a hold on funds from the M\u00e9rida Initiative, but this is not enough. More importantly, Washington should apply sustained diplomatic pressure on Pe\u00f1a Nieto to reconsider the widespread deployment of the military on Mexico\u2019s bloody streets (although Washington would perhaps first have to come around to this view itself).<\/p>\n

There are good reasons to be cynical about the return of the PRI. Even so, when it comes to human rights in Mexico, there\u2019s plenty of room for improvement. Pe\u00f1a Nieto should act upon the lessons learned during Calder\u00f3n\u2019s presidency. A great place to start would be putting the military back where it belongs\u2014in the barracks.<\/p>\n

(Taylor Dibbert is a consultant. He is also a columnist for International Policy Digest and the author of the book Fiesta of Sunset: The Peace Corps, Guatemala and a Search for Truth. He holds degrees from The University of Georgia and Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA).This article appeared in Foreign Policy in Focus)<\/em><\/p>\n

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by Taylor Dibbert On December 1, Enrique Pe\u00f1a Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) assumed the Mexican presidency amid a flurry of protests against the party, whose previous 70-year rule defined the country\u2019s authoritarian past. Yet it\u2019s difficult to imagine that the new president\u2019s term could be worse than the unmitigated disaster of his …<\/p>\n

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