Mexico's Forever War -- Kevin Casas-Zamora, Foreign Policy
Four years into Mexican President Felipe Calderón's assault on the drug cartels, all his country has to show for it is skyrocketing violence. It's time for a different strategy.
December 16, 2009, was supposed to be a turning point in Mexico's long and violent war on drugs. On that day, 200 Mexican naval commandos -- the army and local police were considered too infiltrated by the drug cartels to lead the operation -- stormed the luxury high-rise apartment of Arturo Beltrán Leyva, one of the country's most notorious drug kingpins. Following a two-hour gun battle that was captured on local television, the troops overpowered the drug lord's security forces, killing Beltrán Leyva and six of his bodyguards.
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More News On Mexico's Drug Cartel War
The Mexican Drug War: A Nation Descends into Violence -- Spiegel Online
Mexico investigating kidnapping of 50 Central American migrants -- L.A. Times
El Salvador says dozens of immigrants abducted from train in Mexico -- CNN
Mexico Investigates Report Of 50 Missing Migrants -- NPR/AP
Kidnappers of 50 Mexican migrants make ransom call -- Washington Post/AP
No Mas: Mexico Students Unite to Stop Drug War -- ABC News
Officials: Mexican Killers Often Use US Guns -- Voice of America
Mexico guns: Perplexing problem for US -- El Paso Times
Murder Rate in Mexico Tops 30,000 Since 2006 -- FOX News
Death toll in drug-plagued Mexican border city tops 3,100 -- FOX News
Contract murders for just $40 in Mexican city -- Sify News
Mexican drug cartels find youths to be easy prey -- L.A. Times
To Root Out Dirty Police, Mexico Sends In a General -- Wall Street Journal
Score of Mexican cops arrested for alleged drug ties -- Trading Markets
El Salvador fears Mexico drug cartel violence overflow -- BBC
Drug cartels in U.S. as big a threat as terrorism -- CNN
Mexico becoming big problem for U.S. -- Guillermo I. Martínez, Sun Sentinel
Ideas for dealing with the Mexican drug cartels -- Heath Haussamen, NMPolitics
Q&A: An ICE veteran's look at drug war: Outgoing deputy director says Mexico fight is far from over -- Houston Chronicle
Year of the Dead (Photo Essay) -- Foreign Policy
Factbox: Worst attacks in Mexico's drug war -- Reuters