Plague of rust affects 16% of coffee production*

Dear readers,
This bad news is of vital importance to many farmers in Mexico and Central America, including close partners of the Americas Program. The effort by Starbucks is a good gesture, but we have to place it in an overall context. Starbucks investment in Mexico is a mixed bag. First, they refused to give Mexican producers any priority in purchasing or Mexican consumers a broader range of national products to choose from, claiming that the mix of coffee sold throughout the world is decided at a global corporate headquarters level. They did however provide important training in quality control and selection for some of their Mexican partners. Our readers who donated know that Mexico  received a bag of producer-marketed coffee from an organization that has long been dear to us, CEPCO in Oaxaca.

Starbucks' shade-grown coffee project in Chiapas started as an alliance with Conservation International in an area where organized indigenous farmers have long been growing sustainable coffee. Although at the beginning the project supported the indigenous cooperative, it was characterized by top-down methods and later imposed a series of changes that undermined the collective. The relationship was not an easy one.

We will be following up on this in the near future. It may also be a contributing factor to the immigration surge. Please stay tuned--we will also send along ways to support the region's small coffee farmers.
Laura Carlsen

UNIÓN: The coffee production in Mexico in the last year fell 16.1 percent, due, among other factors, the presence of rust fungus , which has mainly affected the coffee growers in Chiapas, the largest producing area in the country.

In this regard, the CEO of Starbucks Mexico , Federico Tejad to announced the "All coffee planted" in support of the coffee communities of Chiapas.

Starbucks will donate Mexico producers requiring coffee renovation 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of coffee bags Shade Grown Mexico until December this year and are supported by the purchase of crop plants tolerant to the fungus rust.

Mexico can overcome hunger: FAO

El Universal 
By Mariana León
May 27, 2014

José Graziano, general director of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, said that hunger can be eradicated from Mexico with a greater participation of society and less "political pettiness".

In an interview with EL UNIVERSAL, he said that in order to fight violence it is necessary to have a well-fed society.

Graziano, who was Brazil's Minister of Food Security under the administration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, was responsible of applying the program entitled "Fome Zero" (Zero Hunger) in the South American country.

Can a country like Mexico, and others in the region with high levels of violence, exit poverty?

Extreme poverty and hunger are directly related to food security; when that is not guaranteed, conflicts emerge. The issue of tortillas in Mexico is very clear: when prices rise, protests, revolts and conflicts emerge. I think one way to calm society is having plenty of bread. Read more. 

El Chapo's Capture Will Help Restore Mexico's Reputation (Milenio, Mexico)*

*This article, translated by our friends at WorldMeetsUs, views the capture in a positive light as a blow against impunity. Curiously, at the same time the author notes that 'unleashing violence' is a probably outcome of the capture. Again, we have different opinions based on different perspectives--the most positive tend to emphasize the improvement in the image of the Peña Nieto government--breaking the commonly held ideas that the government favored the Sinaloa Cartel and that the PRI would negotiate with cartels. The more negative perspective, like ours, fear for the repercussions in public safety and likely ineffectiveness in terms of eliminating organized crime activity.

Milenio
Translated by WorldMeetsUs
February 25, 2014

It  must be said: The capture of El Chapo Guzman is an undeniable achievement of Enrique Peña Nieto's government. It is a success no matter how one looks at it. It was a success for the armed forces, for the way the information is handled, and in terms of the operational effectiveness and perseverance in achieving a single goal: to stop and imprison the most wanted drug trafficker in the world.

Independent of the undeniable and justifiable satisfaction that the government feels, Mexicans, too, must be satisfied with the government's performance in this regard. The capture of the legendary narco is a down payment in the fight against crime and impunity.

The operation to arrest him reflects well on the professionalism of specialized corps of the Marines and Army. No longer need we imagine surgical operations as an element of quirky movies or the capabilities of forces in other countries. In Mexico there are institutions that function properly, and the successes of operations against crime, whether government run or not, should give us all some peace of mind and boost our sense of confidence.

Capture of El Chapo: Like a Drop of Water in Rain (La Jornada, Mexico)

February 25, 2014

La Jornada 

Translated by WorldMeets

In December 2013 , the Attorney General's Office released a list of 69 of the 122 capos most wanted for drug trafficking who were arrested or killed during President Enrique Peña Nieto's administration. This was a follow up on previous arrest priorities implemented under the administration of Felipe Calderón, the success of who's security strategy was measured based on the number of criminal detainees, and without connection to the nation's prevailing insecurity.

 

On February 21, during a presentation on governance and the rule of law as a strategy for development at the 2014 National Industrial Convention, Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said that of the 122 criminal ringleaders, 74 have been detained.

Now, with the arrest of Joaquin Guzman Loera, alias El Chapo, the number of captured organized crime leaders has reached 75. However, it wasn't only the Mexican authorities that targeted El Chapo. The drug trafficker was one of the U.S. government's most wanted criminals, with the Obama Administration offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture. Read more. 

Human Rights, the NSA, and U.S. Moral Decline (La Jornada, Mexico)

La Jornada 
Translated By Douglas Myles Rasmussen
WorldMeets
October 31, 2013

In the context of the opening of its regular sessions, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) demanded yesterday, in the midst of scandal over the massive and systematic espionage practiced by Washington against citizens and governments, that the United States apply mechanisms to regulate the surveillance of communications so as not to infringe on human rights.

Felipe González, commissioner of the hemisphere-wide group, said that the Commission must advance toward a mechanism that, assuming the legitimacy of the security efforts of states, is not invasive of the rights of individuals. Meanwhile, his counterpart Rodrigo Escobar, stressed that the powers of the United States on security matters must not be absolute, and that the neighboring country must be subject to certain limits, rules and procedures.  Read more. 

Nations Should Quickly Heed Advice of Greenwald, Assange

La Jornada - Editorial 

Translated By Halszka Czarnocka

October 11, 2013

In reference to the scandal about spying by U.S. government agencies on the governments, institutions, companies and individuals in many countries, journalist Glenn Greenwald, who has published classified material obtained by former analyst Edward Snowden, talks of the need to eradicate U.S. dominance of the Internet and form groups of nations to operate independent paths of access to the Worldwide Web. The Guardian reporter has suggested that Argentina and Brazil, as well as the European Union, would be well advised to build their own Internet - something only China has done so far. Meanwhile, Edward Snowden, being pursued by Washington, has taken refuge in Russia. Read more. 

'Not a Single Soldier, Not a Single Peso' for Syrian Misadventure!

La Jornada 
By Guillermo Almeyra
Translated By Seren Moore for WorldMeets
September 10, 2013

The United States and the former colonial powers are preparing to attack Syria militarily. However, as in the war against Serbia, the real targets are in fact elsewhere. In this case, Russia again, the great power in crisis, possessor of gas and oil in the north; and Iran, the socio-political threat to Israel and the Gulf monarchies, and the key to Persian oil. It would be a blow to these countries, and to China, which defends Iran and Syria and fundamentally agrees with Russia. All of of these nations see this as a prelude to an attack on Venezuela (protected by them and by virtue of its vast oil reserves).

The war they are about to launch against Syria seeks, ultimately, to return to square one the open process of decolonization that began after World War II, install the imperial vassal Israel as the only power in the region, and defeat the process of democratization in the Arab world. Above all, this is a typical response of capitalism to a long economic crisis that appears without end: international financial capital expects, as it has in the past, to break the deadlock with a great war that will destroy property, deprive millions of people of their lives, and create a situation requiring massive reconstruction under conditions of global servitude and enslavement.  Read more. 

In Mexico, racism hides in plain view

CNN By Ruben Navarrette Jr.

(CNN) -- Mexico City, home to 20 million people, represents the paradox of the modern Mexico, the side-by-side juxtaposition -- in everything from politics to architecture -- of old and new.
Turn a corner, and you'll see a church that is 300 years old. Turn another, and you can get Wi-Fi in a Starbucks.

The Distrito Federal, also known as Mexico City, serves as a constant reminder that Mexicans are about maintaining tradition, except when they're sidestepping it. They're about moving forward, except when they are unable to let go of the past. They're about preserving memory, except when they have amnesia.

For example, when it comes to forgiving the corrupt Institutional Revolutionary Party (also known by its initials, PRI), whose leaders brutalized the Mexican people and plundered the country for much of the 20th century, they have short memories; they recently returned the PRI to power by electing Enrique Pena Nieto to the presidency. He takes office December 1.

But when it comes to the aftermath of the U.S.-Mexican war, which lasted from 1846 to 1848 and resulted in the United States seizing half of Mexico's territory -- the modern-day U.S. Southwest -- Mexicans' memories are long, and forgiveness isn't easy to find. Even after all these years, in diplomatic circles, you still hear talk of the "sovereignty" issue -- which, loosely defined, means the constant effort by Mexico to keep the United States from meddling in its domestic affairs and the need for the U.S. to tread lightly. Read more. 

Mexico Presidential Race: Voter Indecision

Reforma/Sergio Aguayo: "The mood of citizens is far, far away from those experienced during the presidential elections from 1988 to 2006. While we have emergencies on several fronts, the elections, parties and candidates are seen by a large number of citizens as necessary evils that we have to tolerate and endure.

According to surveys by Reforma in January this year, 59% of voters are undecided. In March 2006, only 28% had doubts, and in 2000 that reduced to 20%. (Reforma, January 15, 2012, March 19 , 2006 and January 17, 2000). One of the main causes of the somber mood and discouragement is the discrediting of political parties. They have plunged into the cellar of the affection of citizens, followed closely by Congress, politicians and the police. For this and other reasons our tender democracy lives in a profound crisis.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Enrique Peña Nieto, Gabriel Quadri and Josefina Vazquez Mota have not been able to go beyond the boundaries imposed by their party faithful.

... I could devote many columns to beating up on the leftist parties. I am ashamed to see their lack of modesty and cynicism with which they  that will allow them to jump to the next position or control those budgets that used to keep on giving suck to their clientele.Where is the dispute about a great thesis to get to Mexico out of its crisis or to resolve the contradictions in its institutions? Where are their proposals to close the huge gap they have with society and with all those undecided voters who otherwise would have given them their vote?

The reality is harsh but better than confront, this year will be the parties that appoint, with their usual methods, the majority of those who occupy positions in the coming years will allow them to make public policy decisions in Congress, governorships and municipalities. Andres Manuel is the only person capable of unifying these mobs ambitious, but how solid is the commitment of the tribes with the reform agenda proposed by the candidate of the left?

A similar phenomenon is observed in the other parties. Peña Nieto and Vazquez Mota are months filled the mouth of "citizens" and swear they will listen to society, which offer the cornucopia of good governance. They were soon added Quadri. As the Left parties, believe that demonstrate the strength of their commitment by inviting leaders of civil organizations, intellectuals, businessmen, artists, and others. It is symbolic concessions that do not alter their way of doing politics, nor influence the way of doing politics. I ask, where is the logic of the party of teachers and the teacher to invite an environmentalist to compete for the presidency?

Perhaps none of the people who aspire to the Presidency achieves society excite or convince the undecided. Regardless of how many voters will President / subjected to rule / aa current standards.In 2000 Vicente Fox had a formidable social organization, the Friends of Fox were millions that were quickly and quietly disbanded because neither the PAN nor the President's inner circle wanted a share.

In 2012 it presented a relatively similar. If successful, Andres Manuel would have Morena, which could serve as a counterweight and balance to the party structures of the left. But that is for the future. At the moment 59% of undecided voters has confirmed the depth of the crisis in our democracy.

Rodrigo Peña González worked." Spanish original

Rule of Law: Politicized Attorney General

John Ackerman is a U.S. born and trained scolar (Ph.D. in political science, University of California, Santa Cruz) who is also a Mexican citizen. He is a researcher in the Institute of Judicial Research of the National Autonomous University of Mexico and editorial director of the Mexican Law Review. He is a columist for La Jornada newspaper and Proceso magazine. He maintains a blog of his articles in Spanish, as well as some in English. 

La Jornada: "The most serious cases of politicization of law enforcement are not the ones known to us, but those that we don't know. The Michoacan cases (in which thirty-some mayors belonging to the PRI--Institutional Revolutionary Party--were arrested on drug corruption charges just before the mid-term congressional elections in 2009 but subsequently released for lack of evidence) and the cases of Greg Sanchez (Cancún area politician charged with, but absolved of ties to drug trafficking) and Jorge Hank Rohn (former PRI mayor of Tijuana), and the ongoing criminal investigations (of Humberto Moreira, former PRI governor of) Coahuila and (three former PRI governors of) Tamaulipas, are only the tip of the iceberg. The real scandal is not that the PGR (Attorney General of Mexico) has decided to investigate and make a show of these politicians, but that it has not done so earlier and in a more systematic and widespread manner.

How many times will Felipe Calderon, for political reasons, order that a criminal case be filed against a high-level official? Why do none of the political front line investigations by the PGR have to do with PAN (National Action Party, the party of President Calderon)? The politicization of justice has been the rule throughout the country's recent history. More serious than the current attempts by Calderon to intimidate his present-day opponents are his pacts of complicity and impunity with his friends of yesterday.

... Mexico needs more, not less, serious investigation of the probable complicity of senior officials and business leaders with organized crime and drug trafficking. The levels of impunity and infiltration that remain in the country today are not just a result of actions by individual police, prosecutors and corrupt judges. Instead, they reflect government policies and systems of complicity that are fostered and tolerated at the highest levels.

Last week, General Guillermo Galván confessed that, in many parts of the country, public safety agencies are completely overrun and that in some regions organized crime has appropriated state institutions. This is not just the responsibility of the PRI, but also of the party that now rules the federal level.

The audit by the Supreme Audit Office of the Federation (ASF) for FY 2010 helps us to understand the reasons for such a monumental failure in public safety. During 2010, for every 100 criminal investigations opened by the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) only 34 were presented before a judge. In other words, 66 percent of investigations were completely without substance, either because the persons being investigated or arrested had nothing to do with the crimes under investigation or because of the total ineptitude of the agents of the MPF to prove the crime or who was responsible. Also during the same year, nearly 7,000 injunctions were canceled because their time limits had expired and the authorities had not acted.

The ASF also found that the PGR simply does not have a reliable record of the arrests and dispositions before the Federal Public Ministry for all of 2010. It turns out that during the process of a change in the systems for recording this information the data was lost or never recorded.

The auditor, Juan Manuel Portal, also certified what many already suspected: the PGR simply does not have an anti-drug strategy. The National Drug Control Program of 2007-2012, which was drafted early in the presidential term, was never properly approved or given institutional follow-up. The PGR also now operates with completely outdated and unworkable rules that do not correspond to the new Organic Law of the institution, published on May 29, 2009.

The recent firing of the special prosecutor for electoral crimes, Jose Luis Vargas, and of the inspector general of the PGR, Cesar Chavez, are not, then, a turn toward greater politicization of the institution, but are just the latest examples of the large institutional weakness have eaten away at the state agency from the beginning of the current administration. While the case of Vargas has received more media attention, the Chavez case is also serious. In 2011 he had achieved a 300 percent increase in the number of observations issued to PGR officials regarding administrative and criminal irregularities. Apparently, this effort to implement a more energetic internal purge made the attorney general, Marisela Morales, uncomfortable.

The good news, however, is that the temporary breakdown of the pact of complicity and impunity between PRI and PAN has allowed important information about political corruption in the country to come to light. The result could be positive if society succeeds in transforming its new knowledge into specific demands for greater accountability by the entire political class." Spanish original

Mexico Politics: Presidential nominee resurrects a holy ghost of Mexico's past

Opinion by Luis Hernández Navarro, the opinion editor of Mexico's La Jornada

guardian.co.uk: "The triumph of Josefina Vázquez Mota in Sunday's primary election puts the final piece in place for Mexico's presidential elections, set for 1 July.

... Vázquez Mota, a federal representative, resorted (as did Ernesto Cordero, her main opponent) to the same old corrupt methods used for decades by the political party, which has ruled Mexico for most of the 20th century, the Institutional Revolutionary party (PRI); threats, giving food to poor voters and using public resources to favour candidates were all commonplace in PAN's primary.

Coming from a highly conservative, private sector guild, Vázquez Mota also enjoyed the support of an important coalition of ultra-rightist forces, among them the notorious El Yunque (the anvil), a secret society who want to "defend the Catholic religion and fight against the forces of Satan, even through violence" and to "establish the kingdom of God on Earth". Its members have infiltrated the federal government's ranks since PAN's Vicente Fox was elected president in 2000." read more

Mexico Drug Violence : 'Business is Business'

Translated and posted by our compañeros at World Meets Us.

La Jornada, Mexico: ""The most serious element of these policies of war and business is not only the fact that such massive expenditures are being spent on the destruction of our country, but that it is now a business that benefits Mexican 'entrepreneurs' who are in collusion with President Calderón. … Obama's 'war on drugs' has resulted in gigantic business opportunities for companies tied to the interests of the U.S. Democratic Party."" read more

Mexico Politics: Author Carlos Fuentes sees Mexico as trapped between big problems and mediocre candidates

Translated by CIP intern Michael Kane

CNN Mexico: "Mexicans find themselves trapped between their grave problems and “mediocre candidates” for the presidency of their country, asserted writer Carlos Fuentes this Monday.

“What alarms me most this year (…) is that I see the problems here and the candidates over there,” said Fuentes in an interview with journalist Carmen Aristegui, on CNN en Español. “A large discrepancy between the country’s challenges and the candidates that we have,” he said.

Fuentes, winner of the Cervantes and Prince of Asturias Awards for Literature, declared that the nation needs “intelligent political media” in order to escape the “extremely grave internal and international situation” in which it finds itself almost six months away from the elections which will renew the presidency, governorships of 15 states, and the Congress.

“We are stuck with a terrible disproportion between the problems of the country and candidates who appear to me to be fairly mediocre,” he contended. Fuentes considered the violence derived from the fight against organized crime to be the main problem for Mexico and the current government of President Felipe Calderón.

“I believe that, in this sexenio, (six-year presidential term) a grave error was committed, which was immediate and, perhaps, had the purpose of legitimizing the (2006 presidential) election, which was so hotly contested. . . . I am under the impression that we have lost this war,” continued Fuentes.

Among other problems, Fuentes referred to infrastructure, education, and healthcare as issues in which “we’ve been left behind,” and that needed the attention of those who aspired to the presidency.

Fuentes reiterated his proposal to legalize drugs as an alternative form of combating narcotrafficking, of which he accused the United States as being responsible and of doing too little to eradicate it.

The author of La region más transparente and Terra Nostra dismissed the possibility of a victory for the National Action Party (PAN) in the presidential election next July due to the discontent it caused over 12 years of governance.

“It seems to me that no one wants to reelect the PAN. I sense that there is a feeling of exhaustion with the PAN governments and their style,” said Fuentes, who believes the party of President Calderón has no popular support, only opposition. “I don’t believe that one can give a PAN candidacy a second chance,” he said.

Regarding the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), whose candidate leads the latest polls, Fuentes believed that they offered a candidate of “very small character” in comparison with the “enormous” problems and challenges of the country.

Enrique Peña Nieto, ex-governor of the central state of México and the candidate of the PRI “is not prepared to be president” claimed Fuentes, who reiterated his condemnation of Peña Nieto’s “public demonstration of ignorance,” after his failure to mention his three favorite books during the the most recent Guadalajara International Book Festival.

“The only possibility of renewal, despite the candidate himself, is with López Obrador and a left which, hopefully, will achieve a degree of unity which it hasn’t yet achieved,” said Fuentes of the candidate for the coalition of leftist parties.

However, everything depends on who will support López Obrador in his quest for the presidency, said Fuentes. “If some of the best minds in Mexico associate themselves with him, there is hope,” he added, referring to people like the ex-rector of UNAM, Juan Ramón de la Fuente, or the current head of government of Mexico City, Marcelo Ebrard, whom López Obrador not long ago considered for the position of Ministry of the Interior, which is charged with domestic policymaking.

“We have a poor and quite uneven presidential race, over against a country with gigantic problems, as many internally as internationally,” contended Fuentes. “Everyone is being tested, because the country is being tested, because the problems are so large,” he added." Spanish original

Mexico Prisons: Congress members urge preventing the collapse of the prison system

A response to the recent prison riot that left 31 dead. Traslated by MexcioBlog

Milenio: Members of the (three major political parties) PRI, PAN and PRD agree that the national prison system is on the verge of collapse, due to overcrowding, fighting between gangs for control of the prisons and corruption, which has led to violence and deaths.

The deputy coordinator of the PRI, Arturo Zamora Jimenez, considers that a complete transformation of criminological system is necessary, including the police and criminal justice systems, not only the prisons, because the main problem they face is the "corruption, self-government and the neglect of  federal authorities."

He said that far from being rehabilitation centers, prisons have become "universities of crime",... coupled with corruption, which has doubled in the country in the last five years, according to reports from the United Nations.

"" Spanish original

U.S.-Mexico Relations: Mexican ambassador will seek to shield realtionship with the U.S.during the upcoming election season

An interview with Mexico's ambassador to the U.S. regarding the parallel election seasons in the two countries and the issues that will continue to be important regardless of the outcome. Translated by MexicoBlog

La Jornada: Mexico's ambassador to the United States, Arturo Sarukhan, predicted complex months ahead in Mexico and the United States with their coming elections, and announced he will seek to shield the bilateral relationship to avoid it being contaminated by the political and electoral debate.

"We are crossing our fingers that the political environment in the United States beginning in 2013 will allow an objective debate, with rational and forward thinking regarding the importance played by migration to the social and economic welfare of both nations," he said during a break of the annual meeting of Mexican ambassadors and consuls which concluded yesterday.

Faced with possible changes of the party in power in either country, he replied: "I have no crystal ball. I do not know what will happen neither here nor there, I can't get ahead of events. The only thing that I want to say is obviously one of the tasks to which we are dedicated in these complex months, in which we have two simultaneous processes of electioneering, is that we seek, first, to shield the bilateral relationship so as not to contaminate it as a result of the political-electoral discussion that is going on on both sides of the border.

As a second point, we must ensure that whatever the election results in both countries, the bilateral agenda is built on progress already made on issues ranging from trade to border infrastructure.

The ambassador also insisted that Mexico has had zero tolerance for hate crimes against Mexican communities in the U.S., and the government has been very successful in joining litigation against state laws that have been enacted in Arizona, Utah, South Carolina, Alabama and Georgia.

He said that both governments have built the largest possible number of dikes to contain or bring down the most harmful of these laws, but made clear that the Mexican embassy ought to be careful (acting in the U.S.) for the same reasons that a foreign government in Mexico has natural limits to its diplomatic action.

Acting as a friend of the court to support litigation by U.S. organizations has been an effective, innovative tool and it will continue to be used to ensure the protection of Mexican communities and that their rights and immigration status are not violated.

Asked if there was any involvement by any Mexican authoritiy in the controversial operation, Fast and Furious, which allowed the illegal sale of 2,500 weapons to Mexican cartels, he said: "It has been said over and over again: there was no role, nor was anyone notified." No one in the government knows the results of investigations conducted by the Department of Justice, which will be announced at the next hearing in the U.S. Congress scheduled for February 2, he said.

He also recognized important advances by the government of Barack Obama in the fight against arms trafficking which has given organized crime in Mexico its overwhelming firepower in recent years. He mentioned that, for the first time, upon the request of the Mexican government,  the U.S. has set the requirement that arms dealers in the four border states are obligated to report to the Justice Department multiple or repeated sale of semiautomatic or automatic assault weapons.

The regulation of weapons is political issue that is difficult to deal with in the United States, especially in an election year, as there is a deep ideological divide with which the government has to struggle, he stated." Spanish original

Mexico Politics: Mexico is not fully democratic: Guillermo Hurtado

Milenio: The writer Guillermo Hurtado says in his book, Mexico Without Sense,that habits in Mexican politics remain the same.

This problem is that it has declared democracy as the best form of government, but to have a complete transition in Mexico, democracy has to be on everyone's mind. This is not achieved by decree; it is necessary to reconstruct society .

Something that helps to improve this is philosophy, which "helps us to be critical," and would help to change. The country has entered a crisis that cannot be resolved unless, as a society, we build a roadmap for the future." Spanish original with video interview

Mexico Youth: Young people face difficult job picture in 2012, experts say

La Jornada: A report by the College of Mexico states that the job outlook for young people in Mexico in 2012 and future years presents extreme difficulties. This sector is and will continue to be affected by very high rates of unemployment, job precariousness and the nature of the informal job market, which provides no  programs of  government security (such as unemployment or health insurance). It is envisaged that this situation will not change in the near term.

The impact of the crisis is more severe in the youth labor, especially in the group between 14 and 19 years old, who are battered by extreme job insecurity, lack of opportunity and uncertainty at work." Spanish original

U.S.-Mexico Relations: Mexican Congress asks Ministry of Foreign Affairs to oppose U.S. defense law for violating the presumption of innocence

From a U.S. point of view, it may seem presumptuous for the Mexican Congress to be concerned about the U.S. violating the rights of Mexicans, but given the U.S. government's merging of immigration, the war on drugs and border security under the rubric of "national security" and defense against "terrorists," this concern is not so far fetched.

Translated by MexicoBlog

La Jornada: The Permanent Commission of the Mexican Congress urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) to express its strong opposition to the provisions of the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act recently enacted in Washington, considering that it puts at imminent risk the bodily integrity and respect for human rights of Mexicans. The legislature believes that this legislation contains powers capable of violating the presumption of innocence and denying the possibility of a fair trial for Mexican citizens." Spanish original

Mexican View on the Drug War: The bellicose discourse is going under

This editorial picks up one of a number of recent statements by President Calderon and members of his administration that allude to proposing that the U.S. legalize marijuana and, possibly, other drugs in order to take money and power away from the cartels. It also points to contradictions in Calderon's statements that declare success in the drug war while implicitely acknowledging its failure. CUPIHD is a Mexican civil society organization led by sociologists, physicians and psychologists that does research on drugs and seeks to change drug policy. Translated by MexicoBlog

Colectivo por una política integral hacia las drogas (CUPIHD) (Collective for an Integrated Policy towards Drugs), Dec. 10, 2011:

"Almost lost in the press statement made recently by Genaro Garcia Luna, Federal Public Security Secretary, was his allusion to the opening up of marijuana policy alternatives that is occurring in the U.S. as a reference point for reevaluating the position of Mexico over this plant (09/12/11 Reforma).

This statement is a clear sign that war is not the only alternative that is beginning to be looked at in the government of Felipe Calderon. The president, for his part, on a highly rated television program, made ​​a display of misinformation and prejudice, claiming that his war strategy is based on the increase in violence that is due to increased drug use. This is a patently false statement, since there is no research that demonstrates such a relationship between the two.

The president's strategy of making desperate declarations has led to countradictions regarding the effectiveness of the drug war (now interpreted as the struggle against 'organized crime'). Calderon said that the elections in Michoacan, carried out ​​on November 13, were affected by the drug traffickers. Beyond the incongruity of attempting to disqualify an election 'in retrospect' (which would also bring him into a direct confrontation with the Institutional Revolutionary Party), such a statement is a tacit admission of failure. It would mean that the army cannot guarantee the exercise of democracy, as it was in Morelia, Michoacan, that he unearthed his hatchet of war five years ago  ." Spanish original

Drug Laundering: Mexico President's Office Says Mexico Didn't Know of DEA Money Laundering

Translated by MexicoBlog. 

Reforma: "Alejandra Sota, spokesperson for President Felipe Calderon, denied that the Government of Mexico had knowledge of the money laundering operation of agents of the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as part of the fight against drug trafficking.

"No, the Mexican government did not know and it is important to note that we have initiated an investigation by the Attorney General's Office to determine responsibilities and, in any case, to investigate if there was such involvement," said Sota to the Univision Network. The New York Times reported last weekend that the DEA has been laundering or smuggling millions of dollars in profits of Mexican drug cartels as a strategy in the fight against drug trafficking." Reforma only allows subscribers access to its website.