The PRI's Grand Hope and the Future of US-Mexican Drug Interdiction Policy

The Atlantic Magazine has a fascinating profile on Enrique Peña Nieto, the governor of the State of Mexico.  First elected to the governorship in 2005, Peña Nieto has almost single handedly revived the hopes of the  Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) to regain the presidency which they lost in 2000 after 70 years in power.

Mexican Governor Peña Nieto

Peña Nieto,  beyond his good looks and being married to a beautiful Mexican television star, is riding the wave of anger and fear among the Mexican populace over the seemingly never-ending bloody drug wars.   The PRI, according to the Atlantic piece, has sought to cut deals with the drug lords in the past to keep the violence down and order in place.  Reading that little nugget immediately begs the question:  Is this Peña Nieto's policy, too? 

Observing the Obama Administration's Latin America policy -- and the US's relationship with Mexico in the wake of the Wikileaks disclosures which damanged ties at a critical time -- one has to ask what sort of relationship do we have with Peña Nieto?  Do we seek to develop, foster and build relations with the up and coming leadership in Mexico such as Peña Nieto?

The Drug Wars are in fact one of the more dangerous threats to US borders today.  Violence is under reported and treated as simply criminal outbursts - a mistake as it has led to significant sovereign instability in Mexico as well violence all along the US-Mexican border.

In a report released this week by the US Justice Department's National Drug Threat Assessment, Mexican drug cartels have expanded the scope of their U.S. operations over 300 percent in two years, from operating in at least 230 cities in 2008 to more than 1,000 cities in 2010.  The US has just installed a highly competent ambassador in Tony Wayne to Mexico but there is no way we can expect one man and his staff to deal with this situation and develop close working relationships with Peña Nieto and his peers.