Clinton Says Situation in Mexico Is Looking Like An Insurgency

The Bottom Line Up Front: the debate on using the term insurgency appears to be stuck on the political agenda issue. Insurgencies typically have political objectives, while the cartels do not. This is not really true as the cartels desire enough influence to get their product across the border. They don’t need to overthrow the state; just small towns…the state will eventually rot away.


It seems the US government now sees the situation in Mexico may be worse than previously assessed. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was quoted in an LA Times piece as saying, "We face an increasing threat from a well-organized network, drug-trafficking threat that is, in some cases, morphing into, or making common cause with, what we would consider an insurgency,".


This is a significant comment for the Secretary of State to make. Her comments appear to counter the assessments of other administration officials who say the situation in Mexico is under control.


Here are some of the highlights of the article leading supporting the developing insurgency argument:

-the government does not control a large amount of their own territory; up to 40% of the country has been under cartel control at some point


-over 28,000 people have been killed by the cartels since Dec 2006, and the numbers keep rising


-Clinton sees the US needs to consider an ‘equivalent’ of Plan Colombia.


-There continues to be strong indications the government is too corrupt to fight the drug cartels.


-Mexican authorities seem to deliberately not act on leads to mitigate the cartel threat


-Mexican President Calderon countered Clinton and blamed the US desire for drugs as the reason for the narco-criminal activity in both Mexico and Colombia


-Cartels are murdering immigrants entering Mexico, along with government and security officials


-US Border States are getting indications the cartel problem may seep into the US


-“George Grayson, a specialist on Mexico at the College of William & Mary in Virginia, said Clinton's remarks were a sign of U.S. officials' growing
alarm at the effects of the drug war.” **You can find a link to his book below this post.


-The article notes US military and law enforcement see Mexico as a growing security issue.


To read the source article click here.

To learn more about counterinsurgency techniques that Mexico can use against the cartels read this book. Counterinsurgency

To learn more about the problems in Mexico read this book. Mexico: Narco-Violence and a Failed State?