Narco Wars and US Policy: A Recurring Cycle of Violence in Mexico
Zoom out for a second: The narrative surrounding the reported killing of Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, 'El Mencho,' in Jalisco paints a familiar picture. Mexican security forces engaged in a military operation, violence erupted, and Americans were urged to seek shelter. This framing, however, meticulously avoids the deeper currents of US involvement that perpetuate these cycles of cartel
violence. Instead of an isolated event, this incident folds into a complex history of foreign intervention and economic policies. From bolstering security forces with billions of dollars in aid through initiatives like the Mérida Initiative, launched in 2008, to demanding drug interdiction that frequently uproots agricultural communities, US foreign policy has consistently shaped the landscape of
Mexico's drug trade. The demand for illicit substances north of the border, coupled with a steady supply of US-manufactured firearms flowing south, creates a self-sustaining ecosystem of conflict. The US is the world's largest supplier of firearms to Mexico, with 70% of guns recovered at crime scenes in Mexico originating from American sellers. This asymmetry is rarely discussed. Consider
Operation Condor in the 1970s, a US-backed eradication campaign in Mexico that, while targeting opium and marijuana, destabilized rural economies and inadvertently empowered nascent trafficking organizations by creating power vacuums. This historical blueprint of eradication leading to consolidation by more ruthless groups is playing out yet again. The focus on 'kingpin' strategies, eliminating