Fox says U.S., Mexico are trapped in cycle

Thu, 2011-09-22 07:07 AM
By: Mark Rockwell

The U.S. and Mexico are trapped in their attempts to stanch the violence associated the drug trade and should consider drastic policy changes to free themselves, said former Mexican President Vincente Fox in a keynote speech here on Sept. 21.

The current policies aimed at prevention and interdiction of drugs moving through Mexico and into the U.S. are holding back both countries, he said. The bloody battles among drug cartels in Mexico in the last few years has cost the country dearly not only in Mexican lives, but in tourism dollars, foreign investment, said Fox.

The strong enforcement response by the Mexican Army to quell the violence has ended up fueling more, he said. “We have to calm down,â€