April 3, 2007:
A video has appeared on YouTube that
supposedly shows the beheading of a drug cartel thug. The Mexican authorities
cannot confirm its authenticity. One theory is that the video was put on the
Web by a rival cartel. The video is supposed to urge people to kill "a Zeta"
(the hit men for the Gulf drug cartel).
March 31, 2007: The Mexican government continues to
make the point that its war on drugs is also a war on corruption. Mexican
corruption affects almost every level of government. Money generated by the
illegal drug trade has made it very easy for the big "cartels" to buy off
police and judges. The cartels carved out "safe zones" for themselves. Police
corruptions and the "safe zones" are two of the big reasons President Felipe
Calderon decided to treat the drug war as an "insurgency" in Mexico. The problem
will not be solved, however, by military means alone, though Calderon's
offensive has caught the drug lords by surprise. Local and state police don't
inspire a lot of trust in Mexico; the Mexican Army is far more respected by the
people. Calderon has begun a process that, in order to be successful, will
include judicial and police reform. Several Mexican commentators believe the
next Mexican president will also have to have Calderon's degree of commitment,
because it will take a decade or more to make the reforms stick. Many are also wondering if the drug cartels
will turn to terrorism. If Calderon can operate on an insurgency model, the
drug cartels may as well.
March 27, 2007: The Mexican government reported
that two bodies were found behind a television station in Veracruz. The bodies
were wrapped in plastic. The government said that the murders were "drug gang
related."
March 23, 2007: The Mexican government has decided
to continue to control domestic corn prices. Corn prices are rising around the
world, in part due to increased demand in the US. Corn is used in the
production of ethanol. The current Mexican government "cap" on corn prices ends
on April 30, but President Felipe Calderon said that cap will be extended. Corn
is used to make the Mexican food stable, the tortilla. Rising corn prices
literally beggar Mexico's poor. It also usually leads to trouble in Mexico's
poor southern states, which have large Indian populations.