U.S. Get Involved Militarily in Mexico\'s Drug

¶ … U.S. get Involved Militarily in Mexico's Drug War

The United States has occupied a place unique among nations since the fall of the Soviet Union. Super power is a term that can only apply to one country due to economic, military and domestic strength. Although there are other countries, most notably China, that are gaining ground, there is no other country that can currently claim to be a super power. But, this does not mean that the U.S. can act with impunity whenever it wants to. This paper will discuss the current drug war in Mexico and why the U.S. should not intervene militarily because Mexico is a sovereign nation, of the possibility of an international backlash, there could be a drug spillover into the U.S., it could cause a great deal of U.S. deaths, and of the possible added cost of the war during a recession.

Sovereign Nation

The United States, because of the beliefs set down by its founders, is a nation which believes strongly in individual sovereignty and the will of the people. Even in the interests of protecting its own people, the government of the United States would have a difficult time directly intervening in another country's affairs without some provocation. Mexico is a sovereign nation that has had political and economic difficulties during its history, but it is still a free nation (Kearney). No matter what the issue, the U.S. would have to make a solid case before its own people and the rest of the world before it could invade, even if the mission was largely humanitarian in nature. Moving military into another country is a significant issue.

International Backlash

The United States does not have the greatest position in the world right now because of recent actions and statements that have been made by U.S. leaders (Kearney). After 9/11/2001, the United States had the sympathy of almost every nation on earth and was backed, in large part, by the United Nations to act against the terrorists who had participated in that heinous act. Although there was some questioning when the first target was Iraq, people around the world agreed that Saddam Hussein had publicly supported terrorist organizations and that the U.S. was justified in going into that country. However, the U.S. lost a great deal of faith when the war carried on, and soldiers from ally nations began to die with no apparent end in sight. Because of the way the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were handled, the U.S. lost a great deal of international support (Chacon).

This type of action would present the same issues. Since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have just ended or are winding down, the errors are still fresh for the international community. There is already a feeling that the United States believes that it can do anything it wants because of military and economic might, and this would act to cement that idea in the minds of many international leaders. Acting on the problems in Mexico with a true international coalition could be a possibility, but a direct affront to the U.S. would probably have to occur first. Even the current U.S. president has talked about how past U.S. administrations have fomented bad feelings in the international community (Harnden). It would behoove the U.S. To seek the approval of international partners before it acts.

Increased Drug Traffic

One source has already cited the poorly executed interventions that the U.S. has already tried, and the resulting increase in drug traffic (Chacon). The United States has sent envoys into Mexico to help that country in its fight against drug cartels, but there has been little initial success. In actuality, drugs from Mexico to the U.S. have increased since the U.S. became involved (Chacon). This does not mean that U.S. involvement can be directly correlated to the increase in drug traffic, but U.S. tactics can be linked. The United States has trained soldiers and national police, and advised Mexico to increase their military and police presence throughout the country. Since that advice was heeded, there has been an astronomical increase in the death toll and in amount of drugs finding their way into the United States (Chacon). It does not seem that the strategy is working.

US Deaths

The cartels in Mexico only care about the money they are able to generate and the power that capital can give them. They have infiltrated Mexican police departments and government outposts, but they do not yet have a significant foothold in the U.S. If the United States were to act directly against them, they could very well react by kidnapping and killing U.S. citizens. More than 15 million U.S. citizens live within ten miles of the Mexican border, and all of those lives could be in danger (Bricker). The cartels would definitely retaliate against the U.S. To try and drive public opinion against further intervention in Mexico. The cost in lives would be too great.

Economics

Currently, the United States, like many other nations around the world, is trying to free itself from the burden of an economic downturn. Any action that the United States takes has to be done with that context in mind. One of the reasons that America halted operations in Iraq was due to the ongoing cost. U.S. citizens are more worried about what is happening in their country than they are about other parts of the world. Even if those parts are right next door.