Border theatrics and historical amnesia in Texas
Governor Greg Abbott has once again deployed the Texas National Guard as part of a 'surge operation' on the border, citing cartel violence and an 'invasion.' This narrative conveniently sidesteps the deep historical roots of regional instability, painting a picture of an external threat rather than acknowledging complicity. It is a familiar performance, a public display of force designed to rally
a base and deflect from systemic failures, both domestic and foreign. While Abbott grandstands about securing the border, the very cartels he decries have been, in part, products of Washington's endless 'War on Drugs' and its economic policies that destabilize Latin American nations. For example, the Mérida Initiative, launched in 2007, poured billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars into Mexican
security forces, yet illicit drug flows and cartel power only intensified. This aid often bypasses local oversight, fueling corruption and violence rather than stemming it. It’s a playbook we’ve seen before: militarize, ignore root causes, then feign surprise when things worsen. The hypocrisy is glaring. When the U.S. directly or indirectly supports coups and economic warfare in Latin America,
creating refugee crises and power vacuums, that's framed as 'promoting democracy' or 'national interest.' Yet, when the inevitable fallout reaches the U.S. border, it's reclassified as an 'invasion' by nefarious actors. This selective outrage ignores that U.S. demand for illicit drugs remains robust, providing the primary market for these organizations. Instead of critical self-reflection, we get