Contenders For Mexico’s Presidency Have All Promised A Major Shift In The Country’s Drug War Strategy

Enrique Peña Nieto, a presidential candidate, said in an interview that reducing violence was a national priority. Adriana Zehbrauskas for The New York Times

Candidates In Mexico Signal A New Tack In The Drug War -- New York Times

MEXICO CITY — The top three contenders for Mexico’s presidency have all promised a major shift in the country’s drug war strategy, placing a higher priority on reducing the violence in Mexico than on using arrests and seizures to block the flow of drugs to the United States.

The candidates, while vowing to continue to fight drug trafficking, say they intend to eventually withdraw the Mexican Army from the drug fight. They are concerned that it has proved unfit for police work and has contributed to the high death toll, which has exceeded 50,000 since the departing president, Felipe Calderón, made the military a cornerstone of his battle against drug traffickers more than five years ago.

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My Comment: Most of the bloodshed in Mexico's drug cartel war is red on red. The idea that if the Mexican military withdraws the drug cartels will then end their conflict is .... dreaming at best .... delusional at worse. To put it bluntly .... the drug cartels are at war with each other .... and the Mexican government is just a minor irritant in their conflict.