Thread: U.S. military outreach to Mexico likely to upset .. . Mexica

Posted on Sunday, March 15, 2009
U.S. military outreach to Mexico likely to upset . . . Mexicans

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By Marisa Taylor and Nancy Youssef | McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — As the Pentagon eyes a bigger role in Mexico's drug war, the military's efforts to open the door to a new relationship with its southern neighbor risks alienating the Mexican military, which has long had a strained relationship with its counterpart, experts said.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has called for improved relations with the Mexican military in response to escalating drug violence along the Mexican border and in Mexico. On Meet the Press earlier this month, the secretary said: "I think we are beginning to be in a position to help the Mexicans more than we have in the past. Some of the old biases against cooperation between our militaries and so on I think are being set aside."

Most experts, however, say any military role should be limited to sharing intelligence or training Mexican troops and even defense officials privately concede their effort to increase their role in Mexico is confusing Mexicans and even other U.S. agencies.

"It's a mistake to say that the United States is going to address this problem of security in Mexico by increasing the Pentagon's role," said Armand B. Peschard-Sverdrup, a senior associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "It only would perpetuate the dysfunctional relationship between the two countries."

During a trip designed to expand U.S. Mexican-military relations, Adm. Michael Mullen, the highest-ranking U.S. military officer, visited the graves of American troops who died during the Mexican-American war just as Secretary of Defense Robert Gates did during his first visit in August.

Although the solemn gesture appeared innocuous, Mexico observers say the visit undercut the military's message that U.S. Mexican military tensions were a thing of the past.

"Why remind Mexicans of the war? The Mexican military is already highly suspect of U.S. intentions and the war is still fresh in their minds," Peschard-Sverdrup said. "Yes, Mullen was well-intentioned but he goes to pay homage to American who died not realizing in a sense that he's also reinforcing the concerns that many in Mexico — especially the Mexican military — have" that the U.S. military will try to once again dominate its land.

Critics said the military also has not helped its efforts with a recent U.S. Joint Forces Command report that concluded Mexico and Pakistan were the world's two states most likely to fail.

"It's ridiculous comparing the Mexico situation to Pakistan," said Raul Benitez, a professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) who specializes in military and national security issues

Benitez said the report demonstrated the military's view of Mexico was "black and white" and he questioned why the administration chose to send a military official before Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano traveled there. As a result, Mullen became the first administration official to brief President Obama on Mexico.

On the Mexican side, the military has taken on an unprecedented role in fighting the drug cartels. President Felipe Calderon has dispatched troops to hot spots throughout the country to try to contain the violence. Drug cartel leaders have hit back with widespread kidnappings, murders and beheadings. The death toll since last year: 7,000 people.

The U.S. has tried to help Mexico contain the violence by launching the Merida Initiative, an anticrime aid measure that is expected to total $1.4 billion over three years. Under the Merida Initiative, the Pentagon is providing five helicopters, a maritime surveillance aircraft, handheld ion scanners, as well as personal protective equipment, rigid hull inflatable boats and night vision devices. In addition, the Defense Department has trained 150 Mexican officers from Oct. 2006 to Sept 2007. Last year, Mexico and the United States also signed an agreement to share intelligence.

However, Congressional Republicans chastised the Pentagon this week for not making Mexico a bigger priority. Adding to the pressure, the Texas governor called on the administration to send the National Guard or military troops to the border. Last week, President Barack Obama said he'd be open to considering such requests, but emphasized he didn't want to militarize the border region.

"We're going to examine whether and if National Guard deployments would make sense and under what circumstances they would make sense," Obama said during an interview earlier this week.

Sean Smith, a Homeland Security spokesman, said federal border agents and local law enforcement officials will continue to take the lead in patrolling the border and arresting drug traffickers on the U.S. side.

"The military is barely even in the conversation at this point," he said. "They would only be used as an extreme last resort should the situation in Mexico get dramatically worse."

At the busiest commercial border between the two countries, the Texas frontier city of Laredo, the idea of a U.S. military presence at the border also gets a lukewarm reception.

"My personal opinion is we don't need to militarize our area, we don't need any more guns in our area. What we need is for the people that are already established there to be trained even more," said Roberto Garcia Jr., a homicide detective in Laredo, Texas.

Garcia offered a gruesome closed-doors visual presentation Thursday at a conference on Mexican security sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson Center, a Washington non-partisan research organization funded by Congress. Mexican drug cartels are increasingly killing on the U.S. side of the border, and U.S. law enforcement needs to be beefed up, he said.

"People in the United States need to understand that this does affect our national security ... unless we do something about it you're going to see heads being rolled down Main Street like they're doing in Mexico," Garcia said.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/117/story/64001.html

I'm not willing to arm or train the Mexican millitary on how to kick our ass.

Obama! That would be STUPID so I know you are going to do it.

Dixie

We trained the Zeta's and look what we got

We armed the Mujahadeen against the Russians and look what we got

Now we are Arming Mexico with our tax dollars with armed Mexican Soldiers coming across our BORDER

The answer is SIMPLE.. fence that border and put the armed forces on it like a fly on stink... then when the cartels figure out they will not get anything through the violence will subside

as far as Illegal Immigrant's ... Stop the capture and release... put them in the dentention centers for a minimum of a year at hard labor and they will get the idea real quick that this crap will not be tolerated.

damn.. put me in charge... I'll shut it down quick. These idiots running the show are "Grossly Incompetant at best" and "Complete Village Idiot's at Worst"

"People in the United States need to understand that this does affect our national security ... unless we do something about it you're going to see heads being rolled down Main Street like they're doing in Mexico," Garcia said.

YA THINK?!?!! Here's an idea, SHUT the border down NOW and let the mexicans take care of their own country!

I'm with you on this Airborne..you take command over sealing and controlling the border...I'll take charge over enforcement, detention and deportation. Give us 12 months and I'd say we'd have the situation in hand!

Originally Posted by AirborneSapper7

We trained the Zeta's and look what we got

We armed the Mujahadeen against the Russians and look what we got

Now we are Arming Mexico with our tax dollars with armed Mexican Soldiers coming across our BORDER

The answer is SIMPLE.. fence that border and put the armed forces on it like a fly on stink... then when the cartels figure out they will not get anything through the violence will subside

as far as Illegal Immigrant's ... Stop the capture and release... put them in the dentention centers for a minimum of a year at hard labor and they will get the idea real quick that this crap will not be tolerated.

damn.. put me in charge... I'll shut it down quick. These idiots running the show are "Grossly Incompetant at best" and "Complete Village Idiot's at Worst"

added to homepage


Mexicans: You're going to see heads being rolled down American streets!
http://www.alipac.us/article4041.html

Originally Posted by Dixie

I'm not willing to arm or train the Mexican millitary on how to kick our ass.

......or even entertain the thought of putting our military in Mexico to help fight this war on drugs. If I were Mexican I would be upset too having another country's military in my country.

How hard is it for the Obama administration to see that our military needs to be used to defend and protect America and Americans? Obama is going to start bringing military men and women home to an economy that has no jobs to offer them. Give them a chance to sign up for another term and stay right here in American protecting our borders.

AirborneSapper7 wrote:
We trained the Zeta's and look what we got

We armed the Mujahadeen against the Russians and look what we got

Now we are Arming Mexico with our tax dollars with armed Mexican Soldiers coming across our BORDER

The answer is SIMPLE.. fence that border and put the armed forces on it like a fly on stink... then when the cartels figure out they will not get anything through the violence will subside

as far as Illegal Immigrant's ... Stop the capture and release... put them in the dentention centers for a minimum of a year at hard labor and they will get the idea real quick that this crap will not be tolerated.

damn.. put me in charge... I'll shut it down quick. These idiots running the show are "Grossly Incompetant at best" and "Complete Village Idiot's at Worst"

I agree with you 100%.

It may take heads rolling down the street for any real action by this government to take place. Even then it may be questionable since NAFTA and the Mexican truck deals seem to take precedent over everything, including our safety. If our government is willing to leave the border open even in the event of a pandemic flu situation or other health threat that would involve quarantine, they are willing to leave it open to appease Mexico when they call us names or say "shame on you United States - how unfriendly."

Ephesians 4:32

CNSNews.com

Putting Troops on Mexican Border Needs to Be 'Looked at Very Carefully,' Senator Says

Monday, March 16, 2009
By Ryan Byrnes

Forensic officers and soldiers work at a crime scene where a man was executed inside a car by unidentified gunmen in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Wednesday, March 11, 2009. (AP Photo/Miguel Tovar)

(CNSNews.com) - The violence caused by drug cartels along the U.S.-Mexico border might not be as serious a national security concern as the war in Afghanistan, but it is a threat that calls for adequate resources, personnel, and perhaps military force, lawmakers said last week.

More than 6,000 people were killed last year in drug cartel-provoked violence, and in January 2009, another 1,000 were killed, according to the U.S. State Department. Some of that violence is spilling over into U.S. cities along the border with Mexico. On Feb. 25, more than 700 drug-cartel members operating in the United States were arrested.

Concerning the violence and national security options to protect Americans, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-Texas) said that the U.S. government is working with the Mexican government to combat the drug cartels.

As for sending in U.S. troops to secure the border, she said: “I think the issue of military on the border has to be looked at very carefully. I’m not ruling it out, but I’m not ruling it in either – nor has Mexico asked for that.â€