THE POWER OF CONSCIENCE: The US Military and the Myth that Humanity is Predisposed to Violence

Editor's Note: This is an important read that is relevant to the Americas Program's critique of US funding and training in Latin America and the downward spiral of violence this causes. 

Other Worlds: We have this tragic misperception that humanity is predisposed to violence.

The truth is that humanity is predisposed to peace. The default position for humanity is that of conscientious objector to war and violence.

Mexico deploys troops to outskirts of Mexico City

MEXICO CITY, Sept 20

(Reuters) - Mexico has sent soldiers to patrol a suburb of Mexico City for the first time to combat a rise in drug-related violence that is beginning to encroach on the capital.

From late Wednesday, a combined force of around 1,000 soldiers, federal police and local police took to the streets of Nezahualcoyotl on the capital's eastern flank, which has suffered from a dispute between two rival drug cartels.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon's fight against drug gangs has overshadowed his administration, and the deployment in Nezahualcoyotl brings the conflict into the home state of his successor Enrique Pena Nieto, who takes office in December.

The local government's request for troops in the sprawling municipality in the State of Mexico follows the murder there this weekend of Jaime Serrano, a local state congressman and member of Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).

Some Nezahualcoyotl residents told Reuters they had been extorted by criminals identifying themselves as members of the La Familia drug gang.

"Things are getting worse and worse here," said one local man, who asked not to be named. "People here have got used to paying these people (the cartels). If you don't, they say they're going to kill you and your family." Read more. 

Candidates in Mexico Signal a New Tack in the Drug War

This article would be good if it were accurate. We at the Americas Program have been monitoring closely the views of the major candidates on the drug war and although it is easy to find a few comments regarding the need to devote more attention to the root causes of the violence (even the U.S. State Department--a staunch promoter of the drug war-- does this), both Peña Nieto and Vázquez Mota have repeatedly affirmed their commitment to toeing the line (what Peña Nieto might actually do in office is a different matter.) López Obrador presents the closest to a paradigm shift, stressing the need to address poverty and inequality, and offering to remove the army from the streets as soon as the police are adequately trained (not something we see happening in the short term, given the high levels of corruption and complicity). Nor is it correct to say that the US government is remaining neutral--Under-Secretary Brownfield and others have explicitly voiced their strong desire to see a new government continue with the present strategy and levels of military and police cooperation in counternarcotics efforts, despite the counterproductive impact so far.

The most interesting thing about this article is the comments section--be sure to take a look at the many informed and thoughtful comments, which weigh in overwhelmingly against the war on drugs model.

NYT The top three contenders for Mexico’s presidency have all promised a major shift in the country’s drug war strategy, placing a higher priority on reducing the violence in Mexico than on using arrests and seizures to block the flow of drugs to the United States.

The candidates, while vowing to continue to fight drug trafficking, say they intend to eventually withdraw the Mexican Army from the drug fight. They are concerned that it has proved unfit for police work and has contributed to the high death toll, which has exceeded 50,000 since the departing president, Felipe Calderón, made the military a cornerstone of his battle against drug traffickers more than five years ago.  Read more.

Don’t Return to a Grim Chapter of Our History

New York Times: After the failure of our costly ground wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, our government is expanding its special operations forces in many countries. The regular Army is deploying units under special ops as well, and now 600 American soldiers are operating in Honduras in the name of the drug war.

This emerging U.S. doctrine is glamorous and cheap, leaves fewer American casualties, and can be conducted in the shadows, undermining the checks and balances expected by Congress, the news media, investigative researchers and pesky protesters.

In Latin America, things may grow worse. The region knows, while North America forgets, that the C.I.A. and Green Berets tried to thwart 20 popular insurgencies and support military dictatorships for decades. Now in many of those same countries, like the powerhouse Brazil, the insurgents have come to power through elections, and the United States is marginalized, with most of Central and South America demanding alternatives to the military war on drugs. See Spanish original

Beating the drug-war addiction

CNN: In January, US President Barack Obama nominated Marine Corps Lieutenant General John F. Kelly to head the United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM). Based in Miami, Florida, USSOUTHCOM runs military operations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, and is the key US “drug warrior” in the region. Across the region, the key question, among civilian and military leaders alike, is whether the change in commanders will bring with it a change in focus.

The top priority for USSOUTHCOM is to fight narcotics trafficking from the Andes to the Rio Grande. With the Cold War’s end, fighting communism was no longer the US armed forces main objective; USSOUTHCOM increasingly concentrated on pursuing coercive anti-drug initiatives, and funds to fight the drug war were plentiful.

But the change in commanders is an opportunity for the US to revise, at long last, its regional doctrine in order to address other pressing security needs. read more

Gallup poll: Mexicans more afraid to walk alone at night

Los Angeles Times: " Mexicans' trust in their military and national police has steadily declined since 2007, the first full year of President Felipe Calderon's war against drug cartels, a new Gallup poll says.

The poll released last week also finds that most Mexicans said they felt less safe walking alone at night in 2011 than they did in 2007.

The findings suggest that two key points of perception in Mexico's conflict -- safety and confidence in authorities -- have eroded since the start of the military-led campaign in late 2006.

In the poll, 56% of Mexicans said they didn't feel safe walking alone at night in their city or neighborhood in 2011, in contrast to 57% who said they felt safe walking alone at night in 2007.

The poll shows a steady decline of confidence in the military, from 64% in 2007 to 58% in 2011. Only 38% of respondents expressed confidence in the government in 2011, and 35% said they trusted the federal police, down significantly from 50% in 2007, Gallup reports." read more

Mexico Presidential Front-Runner Supports Military Deployment

InSight Crime: "The leading candidate in Mexico’s presidential elections has said that he will use the army and navy to combat organized crime, raising questions over how much his security policies would differ from those of the current administration.

After months of criticizing the security strategy of current President Felipe Calderon, Enrique Peña Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) has declared support for the role of the armed forces in taking on drug trafficking organizations. In a press conference on Sunday, Peña Nieto praised the army and navy, crediting the two branches with improving security in some parts of the country." read more

Mexico's Pena Nieto plans new police to fight drug gangs

Reuters: "Mexico's presidential front-runner Enrique Pena Nieto pledged on Monday to create a new police force made up of former soldiers to fight drug gangs and said ending violence would take priority over battling the traffickers if he wins the election.

Pena Nieto, of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), is the hot favorite to win the presidency on July 1, a contest that has been dominated by concerns about rampant drug violence and the need to create more jobs in Mexico. read more

Opinion Briefing: Mexico's Drug War

New Gallup polls show that Mexicans feel less secure now than before the US-backed militarization of the drug war began in 2006. The polls also show that Mexicans' confidence in their police, military, and national government has dropped significantly in the last several years.

Gallup: "Five years after Mexico launched its aggressive war on drugs, Gallup finds fewer Mexicans reporting that gangs and drugs are commonplace where they live. Yet gangs remain a neighborhood fixture for 46% of Mexicans surveyed in 2011 and 33% said drug trafficking goes on. Fewer Mexicans feel safe and their confidence in their police and their military has decreased." read more

Official says US Should Resume Military Aid to Guatemala

InSight Crime: "Speaking to media during a visit to Washington D.C., Guatemalan Defense Minister Ulises Noe Anzueto (shown with President Perez in the photo) said, "We have complied with the declassification of military archives, we have included the issue of human rights in our military academies, and we have (addressed) the remaining concerns there were about this issue."

The US Congress halted all military aid to Guatemala in 1990 as a result of the atrocities committed by the country's armed forces during its civil war. The restrictions were relaxed to a degree in 2007, with the purchase of helicopters for the Guatemala Air Force, as long as they were intended to be used to fight drug trafficking." read more

Drug War: In Mexico’s War on Drugs, Veterans Struggle With PTSD

New America Media: "Mérida, Mexico – For almost a century, Mexico enjoyed the rare privilege of not having waged war. Now, almost six years into the “War on Drugs,” the country’s military is confronting an issue increasingly familiar to veterans and their families in the United States: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Mexico’s Constitution prohibits its armed forces from leaving Mexican territory without a declaration of war, relegating service members to humanitarian relief efforts. These include being among the first to arrive with food and medical supplies to Haiti following that nation’s devastating earthquake in 2010, and routine aid missions in neighboring Central American countries during natural disasters.

The “War on Drugs” has changed all that, however, and for the first time since World War II, Mexican soldiers are living through war-conditions at home, carrying with them the trauma of their experience." read more

Drug War: Eliminating Cartel Leaders had 'Little Effect' on Mexico Violence, US General says

InSight Crime: "US Northern Command leader General Charles Jacoby told the Senate's Armed Services Committee that Mexico had successfully killed or captured 22 out of 37 of Mexico's most wanted drug traffickers, as identified by the Mexican government. He added that such results had "no appreciable effect," as violence continued to increase in Mexico. The country saw a 10 percent rise in homicides linked to organized crime between 2010 and 2011, finishing the year with nearly 13,000 murders.

Jacoby declined to give a personal assessment of the current security situation, noting only that violence had risen in 2011 and "trailed off as the year concluded." He described the current homicide statistics as "unacceptable." read more

Drug War: Security contractors see opportunities, and limits, in Mexico

The Washington Post: "With the Iraq war over and the American presence waning in Afghanistan, U.S. security contractors are looking for new prospects in Mexico, where spreading criminal violence has created a growing demand for battle-ready professionals.

After years of lucrative work in the Middle East and Central Asia, where their presence has been occasionally marred by incidents of excessive force and misconduct, contractors and private security firms of varying sizes and specialties are being drawn into a conflict closer to home. But Mexico’s restrictive gun laws mean that foreign contractors must enter the bloody drug war unarmed as they take jobs ranging from consulting and technical training for the Mexican military to guarding business executives from kidnapping gangs and extortionists." read more

Drug War: Special U.S. military unit hunts Mexico border drug flights

Reuters: "A highly specialized U.S. military task force is using battlefield technology to help federal police hunt elusive drug traffickers slipping over the Mexico border in hard-to-detect ultralight aircraft, officials said on Thursday.

Joint Task Force North, a cadre of highly specialized Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen, is using the military's cutting edge radar and optical technologies to help the U.S. Border Patrol nab the drug flights in southern Arizona and New Mexico.

Wily traffickers attach bundles of up to a few hundred pounds of marijuana to the small, lightweight aircraft, which are difficult to spot and often fly in areas not covered by the Federal Aviation Administration, officials said." read more

U.S.-Mexico Relations: US and Mexico plan to start joint military exercises

CNN Mexico: "The United States plans to increase military cooperation with Mexico. The U.S. Northern Command (Northcom) today reported to Congress that the country is planning a joint simulation exercise in May.

Commander Charles Jacoby said the military relationship between the U.S. and Mexico has advanced to "unprecedented levels of coordination" and the two countries have become "strategic partners" with full respect for the sovereignty of each. "We are ready to increase collaboration and coordination in Mexico to the degree they desire and in accordance with the policies of the U.S. government," he said in written testimony before the Armed Services Committee of the House of Representatives.

The exercise, called Arden Sentry 12, to be held on May 2, will be the first of its kind undertaken by Northcom and the Mexican military as a combined action to support civil authorities in the event of natural disasters. The exercise scenario will simulate a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico that will land near Brownsville, Texas, will return to the sea and re-enter by the north coast of Texas. This includes mock serious damage to infrastructure.

In his testimony, Jacoby highlighted that the Northcom has--for several years--housed members of the Mexican Navy, Defense and Air Force Secretariats and stressed that this has helped "tremendously improve cooperation."

Jacoby said that while Mexico shares information regarding the struggle against transnational criminal organizations, the United States brings its experience in asymmetric conflicts, land warfare and challenges to the rule of law. The commander also pointed out the cooperation with Mexico in terms of planning, tactical skills, communications and incorporating human rights principles, as well as holding regular meetings to build relationships.

As an example, General Jacoby mentioned  planning exercises such as "Quickdraw" between naval forces of the United States, Canada and Mexico to improve the capacity to respond to illegal activities that threaten the security of North America." Spanish original

Drug War: Is Mexico's drug war strategy working?

CNN takes one of those "balanced looks" at the drug war, with an emphasis on Calderon's military strategy and "experts" who say that it "may" work.

CNN.com: "Taking stock of the successes and failures of Mexico's drug war means examining a strategy that experts are divided over. It is a strategy that is not static, and there is evidence that the Mexican government is -- if not gaining ground -- at least reshaping the battlefield." read more

Drug War: Military aid to Colombia and Mexico slowly declines

From our colleagues at Just the Facts.

Just the Facts: "The State Department yesterday released the first document outlining its foreign assistance request for 2013. Yesterday's "Executive Budget Summary" provides few details and lacks country-by-country totals for many programs.

Still, it allows us to provide a crude "snapshot" of how U.S. aid to the region looked in 2011, how it's looking this year, and what the Obama administration has in mind for next year. Here is our best estimate of how U.S. military and police aid to Colombia, Mexico and Central America look between 2008 and 2013.

The data show aid to Colombia's armed forces and police declining still further, to levels last seen before 1999, the year before "Plan Colombia" began.

Aid to Mexico's security forces, while still far higher than pre-Mérida Initiative levels, continues to decline from the 2008-2010 period of large-scale purchases of expensive heliopters and aircraft. Aid to Central America's security forces, however, is holding steady." read more

Human Rights Violations: Mexican Bishop says: militarization of the nation is intended to intimidate

A Mexican bishop, in the state of Coahuila--where drug war violence is rampant--speaks out against the increasing militarization of the country and the National Security Law proposed by President Calderón, which is being debated in the Mexican Congress. Translated by CIP intern  Michael Kane.

La Jornada: "The terror implanted in the population, as well as the intimidation of human rights defenders, form part of the strategies applied to civil society thanks to the nation's militarization, said the bishop of Saltillo, Raúl Vera López.

After finishing mass in the cathedral in the capital of Coahuila, the priest indicated that the raid conducted by military forces and federal agents on the Juan Gerardi Human Rights Center in the city of Torreón is part of a scheme whose objective is to intimidate those who participate in civil organizations, who are working for the creation of civically oriented persons.

The bishop, who defends the causes of civic organizations, referred to the fact that the dispute against narco-trafficking over control of the state strikes at "other enemies." These "other enemies," he clarified are "those who are adversaries criticizing the government's security plan."

Thus, he explained, the raid conducted by military forces and federal agents on the Juan Gerardi Human Rights Center in Torreón--where cases of forced disappearances in Coahuila are handled--is a replica of what happened in the Bethlehem House of Migrants, in Saltillo, where human rights advocates were threated, or even in the raid in the same city, in which security forces raided the church where prisoners attended services.

"With the totally fascist intentions that exist regarding the National Security Law, all of this will eventually be allowed. What they're doing is now illegal, so the day they succeed in transforming the Constitution, it will be precisely with that law that it will be allowed. Today we can scream and protest, but tomorrow we will be able to do neither, because they will make that which is illegal constitutional," he concluded." Spanish original

Drug War: The ‘Fantasia’ effect and the emergence of Mexico’s new cartels

Justice in Mexico: "Experts point out that the militarized strategy pursued by President Felipe Calderón that focuses on destroying leadership within cartels is not having a real effect in the fight against drug trafficking and violence. They argue that while the arrest of top cartel bosses disrupts their operations, it consequentially contributes to greater infighting between and within competing organized crime groups.

This strategy of breaking cartels into smaller, more manageable pieces seems to be causing a “Fantasia” effect (Shirk, 2011), a name that is inspired by the animated Disney film where a wizard trying to control an animated broom destroys it, but every fragment of the broken broom thereby becomes its own uncontrollable tiny broom. The comparison is that breaking down organizations and cartels does not necessarily destroy them, but rather creates divisions that lead to the emergence of much smaller organizations that operate in lower, less manageable, and more violent levels." read more

Border: Military to bolster presence on border

tucsonsentinel.com: "The military's presence along the Mexican border will be bolstered this month when more troops and equipment are deployed to Southern Arizona, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol said Thursday. Joint Task Force-North, which oversees military operations along the U.S.-Mexico border, will send additional troops, vehicles and equipment to Arizona and New Mexico in mid-February, the Border Patrol said." read more