Why did the strategies of the Drug War implemented by the Mexican governments from 2006 to 2018 fail?
The so-called Drug War has now been raging in Mexico for almost 13 years. Ending the violence is one of the greatest challenges facing Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has been in office since December 2018. During the election campaign he had announced that he would fundamentally change the strategies of his predecessors Felipe Calderón, President from 2006 to 2012, and Enrique Peña Nieto, in office from 2012 to 2018 – away from chasing the heads of drug cartels with massive military action and towards anti-corruption measures and social programs. A change of direction was necessary because the strategies applied by Calderón and Peña Nieto had failed in the view of many experts as well as the literature.
In this paper, the strategies of governments from 2006 to 2018 and the reasons for their failure are analyzed. First, the theoretical foundations based on the literature on new wars, drug economies and state weakness are laid. Built on the theoretical discussion, three propositions are derived from the hypothesis “If the Mexican governments apply the wrong strategies, they will fail in the Drug War” to better analyze the qualitative research puzzle. The analysis is based on the three features “militarization and kingpin strategy“, “ongoing prohibitionist policies“ and “state weakness“, that serve as independent variables for the qualitative explanation of the failure in the Drug War.
The strategies and their outcomes are studied using academic literature, government documents, and official statistics. It is shown that Peña Nieto announced a change of course in the Drug War, but, in fact, continued like his predecessor. Therefore, the reasons for the failure of both strategies will be studied in combination, and the research question will be answered.
The main finding is that the implementing of the militarization and kingpin strategy, the ongoing drug prohibition and the persistent state weakness led to an increase in violence and in the power of the Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs), thus to failure in the Drug War.
The specialty of this work is that the strategies are analyzed using political science theories and concepts, such as those of new wars and state weakness.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Theory and hypotheses
- Characteristics of new wars
- Drug economies
- State weakness
- The Militarization and Kingpin Strategy
- Ongoing Prohibitionist Policies
- State Weakness and its Consequences
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to analyze the strategies employed by Mexican governments from 2006 to 2018 in the context of the Drug War and to explore the reasons for their failure. It examines the theoretical foundations, drawing on literature on new wars, drug economies, and state weakness, to identify key factors contributing to the ongoing violence and the strengthening of drug trafficking organizations.
- The impact of "militarization and kingpin strategy" on the Drug War.
- The role of ongoing prohibitionist policies in fueling the drug economy.
- The consequences of state weakness in exacerbating the power of drug trafficking organizations.
- The connection between corruption and state fragility in Mexico.
- The limitations of traditional approaches to warfare in addressing the complex dynamics of the Drug War.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction provides a brief overview of the Mexican Drug War and its complexities, outlining the objectives and scope of the research. It highlights the failure of previous strategies implemented by Mexican governments and introduces the theoretical framework that will be used for analysis.
The chapter "Theory and hypotheses" explores the characteristics of new wars, the nature of drug economies, and the concept of state weakness. It examines how these theoretical frameworks provide insights into the complexities of the Mexican Drug War and how they inform the analysis of government strategies.
The chapter "The Militarization and Kingpin Strategy" delves into the impact of the militarized approach to combating drug trafficking, analyzing its effectiveness and unintended consequences. It explores the strategy's focus on eliminating key figures in drug cartels, its contribution to violence, and its potential to strengthen the very organizations it seeks to dismantle.
The chapter "Ongoing Prohibitionist Policies" examines the role of drug prohibition in shaping the drug economy and fueling violence. It discusses the unintended consequences of criminalization and the economic incentives that contribute to the growth and profitability of drug trafficking organizations.
The chapter "State Weakness and its Consequences" analyzes the impact of state weakness on the effectiveness of the Drug War. It explores the role of corruption, the weakening of state institutions, and the erosion of legitimacy in facilitating criminal activity and hindering effective law enforcement.
This preview excludes summaries of the final chapter and the conclusion to avoid spoilers and to ensure a balanced overview of the work.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The primary keywords and focus topics of this work include: Mexican Drug War, new wars, drug economies, state weakness, militarization, kingpin strategy, prohibitionist policies, corruption, criminalization, violence, drug trafficking organizations (DTOs), state fragility, and the failure of government strategies.
- Quote paper
- Sandra Schaftner (Author), 2019, The Reasons for the Failure in the Mexican Drug War, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/1380871