Plan Mexico: Calderón’s Endless War

This is not occupied Iraq. This is Mexico. The "war" on organized crime is Mexico's "war on terror." President Felipe Calderón kicked this endless war into high gear when he deployed 25,000 federal soldiers into drug-cartel dominated states just days after he took office, thanks to widespread electoral fraud. He claims this exponential increase in the militarization of Mexican society is necessary to reclaim territory occupied and dominated by drug cartels. However, civil society organizations on both sides of the border see it as his attempt to bolster his weak presidency with a strong military alliance against an internal enemy - historically a popular strategy among dictators.

During his presidential campaign, Calderón said he would rule Mexico with a "firm hand." That firm hand has predictably turned into an iron fist. There are currently 40,000 federal soldiers deployed in 11 states. Since Calderón declared open war on organized crime a year and a half ago,

• Over 4,152 people have died in drug-related deaths;
• 87 unresolved formal complaints of crimes against journalists have accumulated in the Mexican Attorney General's office;
• Mexico's National Human Rights Commission has documented 634 cases of military abuse;
• The country's homicide rate has increased by 47 percent;
• And there have been at least 223 disappearances during Calderón's term so far - 23-30 political disappearances and approximately 200 cartel-related disappearances.

To make matters worse, on July 1, 2008, videos surfaced showing US-based private contractors torturing police in León, Guanajuato, as part of a course aimed at preparing the cops for the war on organized crime. Mexican press and human rights organizations say the police were tortured so that they learn to torture. The courses were initiated, paid for, and defended by local officials from Calderón's National Action Party (PAN).

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