US Response to Drug Wars in Mexico

The United States is dealing with many foreign policy issues currently. Among many issues are conflict in the Middle East, Russia’s intervention in Ukraine, and Iran nuclear talks. But there is one issue that is occurring much closer to the United States, and that is the drug wars in Mexico.

Our southern border country is going through complete turmoil, the drug trafficking organizations in Mexico are causing crime on both sides of the border. “Since 2006, more than 60,000 people have been killed in DTO-related violence, and more than 26,000 have gone missing.” Evelyn Krache Morris states in her article “Think Again: Mexican Drug Cartels”. Those massive numbers demand attention from the United States Government, seeing that these two countries have important ties in economy and culture. “The two countries share a 1,933-mile border that 350 million people cross legally each year, making it the world’s busiest.” Morris states. Yet the United States gives about no attention to the turmoil going on in Mexico. Everybody knows that the United states does give an immense amount of attention to the border security between Mexico and the US. But Morris points out an important observation regarding the United States impact on the border control, she says “Yet the technology and money dedicated to enhancing security there have not been enough to thwart creative DTOs.” The US foreign policy is ignoring the chaos and tragedy going on in Mexico, when it is not only affecting the lives of people in Mexico but in our own great country.

One of the three lasting concepts of the Monroe Doctrine is “Non-Intervention, unless it affects us directly.” The United States “response” to the drug wars (which isn’t much of a response at all) is neglecting that concept of the Doctrine. Yes, the US is not holding an intervention in Mexico which follows the concept of non-intervention BUT it also is not addressing a threat that does indeed affect the US directly. Mexico is the United States’ second largest export market and its third largest import supplier. With Mexico’s economy struggling because of the drug wars, the United States’ economy will be directly affected in a negative way because of their relation with Mexico. If the US were following the three lasting concepts of the Monroe Doctrine they would do many things differently. First the US would not interfere by sending US law enforcement to only be killed and add to the amount of casualties, in order to follow the concept of Separate Spheres. Also the US would only help positively from a distance without dominating Mexico, which would follow the concept of Non-Colonization. But lastly and most importantly, the US should higher the security of the border to catch DTOs and diminish them from coming in to our country. This would follow the concept of Non-Intervention (unless it affects us directly), because the drug wars do affect the United States directly and the US should be holding an Intervention to higher the border control security.

The United States may use the concepts of the Monroe Doctrine for many other issues in foreign policy But their “let’s stay out of it” response to the drug wars in Mexico neglects the three lasting concepts of the Doctrine, because it is going to affect the US directly.

Krache Morris, Evelyn. "Think Again: Mexican Drug Cartels." Foreign Policy Think Again Mexican Drug Cartels Comments. Web. 5 Dec. 2014. <http://foreignpolicy.com/2013/12/04/think-again-mexican-drug-cartels/