Two weeks ago, CNN reported on a website called BlueServo.net, where vigilant private citizens may watch 15 cameras that monitor the Mexican-American border.

From the article:

"Lawmakers are raising concerns about drug-related violence spilling into the United States from Mexico. And, bucking an upward trend, there has been an apparent decrease in illegal immigration into the United States because of the struggling economy, according to a report from the Department of Homeland Security. Look at where the border wall is located »

The Bush administration made a number of attempts to curb illegal immigration from the south. The administration added troops to the area and also built a wall along parts of the U.S.-Mexico border, drawing criticism from environmentalists and immigration advocates."

Two week ago, the Economist analyzes the global drug trade in depth, concluding (as befitting their liberal tradition) that the legalization of drugs is "the least bad" solution to protecting addicts and slowing the crime and murder associated with the drug trade.

That is one aspect of the problem. Another part is implicitly alluded to in the CNN article. The Bush Administration's response to the Mexican Question tackles symptoms, not the root problem.

American policy makers ought to ask regarding this issue is: why are so many Mexicans leaving? America's consistent track-record of meddling in the internal affairs of other countries suggests that "that's their problem" approach is laziness, or worse, hints at a lack of ideas. America has never hesitated to manipulate events within other countries to serve its ends (for good or ill), and it should not hesitate to offer American assistance and activities to the Mexican government. Of what specific sort -- military, military-advisors, ear-marked economic aid -- I would hesitate to specify.

Nonetheless, allowing American assistance within Mexico would empower the Mexican federal government by setting a precedent for state action superseding provincial authority.

America can no longer afford the mind-our-own-business sentiment captured by this statement from Republican senator John Barrasso: "Why would you disarm someone when they potentially could get caught in the crossfire?...The United States will not surrender our second-amendment rights for Mexico's border problem."

The Mexican Question isn't and never was a mere border problem; failed states fail because of internal problems. If America is to prevent Mexico from failing -- and thus forestall the nightmare of having a narco-state neighbor -- then America must help the Mexican federal government deal with internal Mexican affairs.

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