Watching political developments in Mexico takes you to two points. On one hand, the political class is playing the sovereignty card, i.e. no foreign intervention. On the other hand, my unscientific survey of Mexican acquaintances, suggests that Mexicans want something done about they call "organized crime." The "politicos" are talking ideology and the people are screaming that they shot their mayor again.
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https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/01/the_great_divide_south_of_the_border.html
Watching political developments in Mexico takes you to two points. On one hand, the political class is playing the sovereignty card, i.e. no foreign intervention. On the other hand, my unscientific survey of Mexican acquaintances, suggests that Mexicans want something done about they call "organized crime." The "politicos" are talking ideology and the people are screaming that they shot their mayor again.
So where are we? It appears that the Trump administration is sending signals that more needs to be done. This is the story:
The United States is intensifying pressure on Mexico to allow U.S. military forces to conduct joint operations to dismantle fentanyl labs inside the country, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing U.S. officials.
U.S. officials want American forces, either Special Operations troops or CIA officers, to accompany Mexican soldiers on raids on suspected fentanyl labs, the report said, citing multiple unnamed officials.
"On the campaign trail, President Trump pledged to take on the cartels," a White House official told Reuters, adding that Trump has "left all options on the table" to stop drugs from entering the country.
U.S. President Donald Trump told Fox News last week that cartels were running Mexico and suggested the U.S. could strike land targets to combat them, in one of a series of threats to deploy U.S. military force against drug cartels.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said this week that she ruled out a U.S. military intervention to combat drug cartels following a "good conversation" with Trump on security and drug trafficking.
My guess is that most Mexicans are beyond the word games, i.e. foreign intervention and sovereignty. They want action and they don't see it. Why not? Well, that's where the debate gets angry and very partisan. The opposition claims that Presidenta Sheinbaum is in the pocket of cartels and her administration responds by saying that U.S. troops would be counterproductive.
I agree that send the Marines would create more problems. It would be difficult to bomb fentanyl plants without killing civilians, for example. However, joint operations with Mexican troops taking the lead is a better idea. The U.S. could simply direct and supply them, but it's the Mexicans who break down doors and pull bad guys out of the place.
So the debate goes on and the phone calls do too. In the end, I believe that Mexicans know what this violence is doing to them, their communities, and even business opportunities. They want action, not more ideology about sovereignty.
Who will prevail? Stay tuned. The great divide is widening.
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