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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Proceso: Mexican Military Attempted to Get a Consensus on Drug War |
| 2010-12-05 |
| Google Translate by Chris Covert Despite the grim vignette with which Wikileaks documents attempted to portray Mexican President Felipe Calderon and the state of the war against drug cartels in late 2009, a senior Mexican Army commander attempted to get a political agreement on expanded powers of the army earlier this year, according to the Mexican weekly Proceso. Proceso reported in a Friday online edition that General Guillermo Galvan Galvan, Calderon's Secretary of Defense, met with several legislative leaders in Mexico City to forge an agreement on expanded powers for the Mexican Army in its role in the current war on drugs. Wikileaks documents released about meetings between US state Department officials and senior officials with the Calderon government paint a grim picture of a politicians uncertain about its next step in combating drug cartels. According to the April 16th article, Proceso reported that on April 7th, Galvan Galvan met with Ardelio Vargas, Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), Enrique Ibarra, Labour Party, and Paul Escudero, Partido Verde Ecologista de Mexico (PVEM) to ask for their support in making changes in Mexican law to allow expanded search and interrogation powers by Mexican military units in the fight against Mexican drug cartels. Among the powers requested was a curfew in "zones of emergency" and expanded powers of interrogation by military commanders. The curfew request was to be limited in areas where drug violence was the most intense including Chihuahua, Tamaulipas and Sonora as well as other states. But the centerpiece of Galvan's request was the ominous "state of emergency," while entails invocation of Article 29 of the Mexican Constitution, which requires consent of the Council of Ministers and the Federal Congress, politically a very high mountain for anyone to climb. According to the article, a main contention in the meeting was that Galvan was never very clear about the exact nature of his request, except for the establishment of military checkpoints, which are currently in operation in some parts of Mexico. Many of Galvan's requests ran counter to explicits rights set forth in the Mexican Constitution, but what probably spooked legislators the most was Galvan's hint that these expanded powers would require Mexican military presence in on the streets for between five and ten years, powers that would span the next president's term in 2012. President Calderon will step down as Mexican president in 2012. Galvan wanted other specific changes as well:
What Galvan was likely aiming for was a state of emergency de facto, not necessarily de jure. Although the article doesn't so state, with the Mexican Army already doing many of the things Galvan has requested, it seems that the request for a state of emergency may have been a last resort for Calderon. The choices may well have been as stark as the choice between the laundry list Galvan presented and invocation of Article 29; and may well have been the only path politically Mexican national politicians could stomach short of Article 29. The likely bitterest pill for Mexico to swallow with a state of emergency is the likelihood the northern border would be sealed, an act even the US government won't consider. According to the article Mexican politicians are still considering many of Galvan's requests. The Mexican Congress has already placed its endorsement on the idea that the Mexican military can stem the violence by increasing the size of the army by the equivalent of four combat brigades, or 18 rifle battalions, and by increasing military salaries. Whether this will have a positive affect of the Mexican War on Drugs without the state of emergency remains to be seen. At the moment, confrontations between Mexican security forces and drug gangs are down and have been for about three weeks. Whether the additional firepower on Mexico's northern sector is the cause or cartels are just reloading is also an issue to be resolved in time. |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #3 It's time for the shopping-trips to San Antonio. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2010-12-05 13:43 |
| #2 At the moment, confrontations between Mexican security forces and drug gangs are down and have been for about three weeks. Even steeped-in-blood evil drug gangs take time to celebrate Christmas? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-12-05 12:38 |
| #1 Among the powers requested was a curfew in "zones of emergency" and expanded powers of interrogation by military commanders. I'm sure we have some space we can 'lease out' at Gitmo. What Galvan was likely aiming for was a state of emergency de facto, not necessarily de jure. Although the article doesn't so state, with the Mexican Army already doing many of the things Galvan has requested, Gee, they don't have a Posse Comitatus Act? Not that it would make much difference. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-12-05 09:26 |