Twitter Chat: Fired Up and Fed Up With Mexico’s Drug War

Margaret Warner in a mass grave site in Juarez, Mexico. Photo by Morgan Till/NewsHour.

Just days before Mexicans vote for their next president on Sunday, one of the hottest topics on voters’ minds is the violence connected to drug-trafficking. On Wednesday, NewsHour senior correspondent Margaret Warner hosted a Twitter conversation from Mexico on what to do about the drug war.

Five reporters and analysts with varying perspectives joined Warner for a conversation in English and Spanish at #MXdrugwar. We’ve posted some highlights. Participants included:

• Hernan Rozemberg (@scribehernan), a reporter with the Changing America Desk (@fronterasdesk);
• Cesar Rodriguez (@cesar_rodriguez), a crime beat reporter for Tiempo de Laredo, Spanish-language edition of Laredo Morning Times (@LMTTiempo);
• Alejandro Madrazo Lajous (@BuenMadrazo), a research fellow at CIDE in Mexico;
• Sylvia Longmire (@drugwaranalyst), author of “Cartel – The Coming Invasion of Mexico’s Drug Wars”; and
• Ray Walser (@heritageanalyst), senior policy analyst covering Latin America at the Heritage Foundation (@Heritage).

Warner opened the debate with this question:

@MargaretWarner Everything needs to change. Calderon’s war has been a catastrophe from any perspective you look at it. #mxdrugwar

— Alejandro Madrazo L (@BuenMadrazo) June 27, 2012

A1. Cartels need 2 be prioritized by threat. Zetas need 2 be eliminated ASAP, yes, at the cost of other cartels operating freely. #mxdrugwar

— Sylvia Longmire (@DrugWarAnalyst) June 27, 2012

A1. Another important task is to provide more educational and work opportunities for Mexico’s youth to keep them out of cartels. #mxdrugwar

— Sylvia Longmire (@DrugWarAnalyst) June 27, 2012

A1. One could argue the DTOs are so entrenched in MX politics by now that it doesn’t matter who’s in power. They’re here to stay. #mxdrugwar

— Hernan Rozemberg (@scribehernan) June 27, 2012

Power-sharing is a dangerously political word, we are delaing with criminal orgs #mxdrugwar

— Ray Walser (@heritageanalyst) June 27, 2012

What can be done about the criminal cartels?

Q3: Several of you said concentrate security firepower to hammer the more violent cartels. What about the others? #mxdrugwar

— Margaret Warner (@MargaretWarner) June 27, 2012

#mxdrugwar A3: Unfortunately, cells will always operate. The problem is stopping these cells from becoming cartels.

— cesar_rodriguez (@cesar_rodriguez) June 27, 2012

Q3: @cesar_rodriguez said cells will always operate, but can stop them from becoming cartels. What do you mean? How do that ? #mxdrugwar

— Margaret Warner (@MargaretWarner) June 27, 2012

@cesar_rodriguez If so, why does Mexico bare the burden of stopping drugs from getting to the US?#mxdrugwar

— Alejandro Madrazo L (@BuenMadrazo) June 27, 2012

Drug consumption in US drives problem but does not explain state weaknesss and extreme violence.#mxdrugwar

— Ray Walser (@heritageanalyst) June 27, 2012

Cartels don’t run out of ideas. One scheme has then recruiting US teens for small drug deliveries. If caught, they’re minors. #mxdrugwar

— Hernan Rozemberg (@scribehernan) June 27, 2012

What does the United States need to do?

@heritageanalyst US govt does not consider #mxdrugwar to be a priority, which is part of the problem. Not mentioned in last 4 SOTU speeches.

— Sylvia Longmire (@DrugWarAnalyst) June 27, 2012

@NewsHour @BuenMadrazo Mex is the first line of defense against #mxdrugwar. U.S. does their best to stop the smuggling at border.

— cesar_rodriguez (@cesar_rodriguez) June 27, 2012

A1. In the mid term we need to move towards regulation of the drug markets, gradually and depending on the drug and the community #mxdrugwar

— Alejandro Madrazo L (@BuenMadrazo) June 27, 2012

@BuenMadrazo Unfortunately, legalization requires withdrawal from UN Single Convention Against Narcotics. US will never do it. #mxdrugwar

— Sylvia Longmire (@DrugWarAnalyst) June 27, 2012

The topic came up of how the failed U.S. gun-running sting, dubbed Fast and Furious, affected dynamics between the two countries:

The flow of weapons from US to Mexico is nothing new. It’s just drawing more attention now because of #FastandFurious scandal. #mxdrugwar

— Hernan Rozemberg (@scribehernan) June 27, 2012

@heritageanalyst Agreed. While F&F scandal is going on, people forget the guns are still going south and no progress being made. #mxdrugwar

— Sylvia Longmire (@DrugWarAnalyst) June 27, 2012

@MargaretWarner #mxdrugwar To stop the flow of weapons, more people are required at International Bridges at both sides of the border.

— cesar_rodriguez (@cesar_rodriguez) June 27, 2012

@MargaretWarner US is clearly not interested in stoping guns going to Mexico. Why should we stop drugs going to US? #mxdrugwar

— Alejandro Madrazo L (@BuenMadrazo) June 27, 2012

How is the drug question playing in Mexico’s elections?

A9. It seems most candidates would rather not speak about it if given a choice, like US candidates with #immigration. #mxdrugwar

— Hernan Rozemberg (@scribehernan) June 27, 2012

A9: I’ve also read that some candidates are ignoring the issue. EPN’s ideas have been pretty vague with no concrete strategies. #mxdrugwar

— Sylvia Longmire (@DrugWarAnalyst) June 27, 2012

Q. 10.In Mexico, believe electorate will choose leader they hope will do best job, not the policy itself.#mxdrugwar

— Ray Walser (@heritageanalyst) June 27, 2012

A10. The downfall of the #PAN is amazing. Wonder how much Calderon’s failure to beat the cartels has pushed people away from PAN. #mxdrugwar

— Hernan Rozemberg (@scribehernan) June 27, 2012

The path ahead:

@heritageanalyst US-Mexico should work together only if Mexico’s interests are also on the table (which they aren’t now). #mxdrugwar

— Alejandro Madrazo L (@BuenMadrazo) June 27, 2012

Wednesday’s report on the NewsHour focused on the high costs of Mexico’s drug war:

View all of the NewsHour team’s Mexico coverage.

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