On Recent Cartel Violence in Mexico

This is as much about the United States as it is about Mexico

Writing an article on cartel violence in Mexico isn't what I was planning on doing this week. However, the recent arrest of Ovidio Guzmán - alleged senior member of the Sinaloa Cartel - in Culiacán, Sinaloa last week has once again placed violence front-and-center in the news cycle around Mexico.

After Ovidio Guzmán's arrest, gang violence erupted in and around Culiacán in protest of his capture. At least 29 people - gang members and military personnel - have been killed in gunfights related to the arrest. The city of Culiacán was effectively shut down due to the violence, and residents were cautioned to shelter in place. Transit operations were also affected, with flights being shut down in several Sinaloa cities, and the La Paz-Mazatlan1 ferry operations were suspended.

The Canadian government has warned its citizens in Sinaloa to shelter in place due to the violence, and both the U.S. and Canadian governments have issued heightened security alerts for that state.

On The Ground in Mexico

Drug gangs engaged in shootouts with law enforcement is indeed a scary thing, and an ongoing security issue in Mexico. The people not actively involved in the war on drugs most affected by these events are not U.S. and Canadian tourists and immigrants, but Mexican nationals who don't have the luxury of escaping the areas that are most impacted by these activities. Many Mexicans simply cannot afford to hide out in their homes, or move to a safer part of Mexico. These are the people who are most impacted, and whose lives we should be most concerned about. U.S. and Canadian news rarely focuses on this kind of obvious community impact, choosing instead to focus on the violence itself and the anxiety and fear that U.S. and Canadian citizens should feel as a result.

The truth is, though, that foreigners are very rarely directly impacted by drug violence in Mexico. Tourists and immigrants are of little interest to drug cartels - the business of manufacturing and transporting illegal narcotics is what the cartels care about, not you. It is hubris to think otherwise. And most cartel activity occurs in places that tourists and immigrants avoid. If you are a U.S. citizen you are far, far more likely to be murdered in the United States than you are of being murdered as a tourist or immigrant in Mexico. And yet so many in the U.S. believe that exactly the inverse is true.

For sure, there are crimes that are targeted toward visitors from the U.S. and Canada - namely, property crimes. People from the U.S. and Canada are wealthy compared to the vast majority of Mexicans, and some Mexicans 2 seek to re-distribute that wealth disparity, however minutely, through theft and scams. So while there is a small chance that you might have your iPhone stolen if you are not careful, you'll live to tell about it.

What We Don't Like To Talk About

There are two necessary components of Mexican drug violence that the U.S. media doesn't talk about much, and that morally outraged U.S. citizens seldom consider: the market for drugs - the reason drugs are such a successful business - rests almost exclusively within the U.S. border. And the majority of the guns and ammunition that animate drug violence come from the United States. Mexican drug cartels are not an anomaly of Mexican history and culture, but rather an opportunistic response to a dystopic environment in the U.S. that systematically disenfranchises large swaths of it's population to the extent that relief through the numbness of drug highs becomes a compelling response to that disenfranchisement. Add to that a laissez-faire policy toward the manufacture, marketing and distribution of firearms designed solely for the purpose of killing human beings and you've got the recipe for a high-profit business along with a means to discourage competition. "Come and sell us drugs!", screams the United States, "And don't forget to visit the gun store on your way back to the border!" Is it surprising that some Mexican entrepreneurs heed that call? If you believe that cartels are a "Mexican thing", you may as well believe that the earth is flat.

And lest we in the U.S. get too bought into our notions of moral superiority, consider that Mexico - like the majority of the civilized world - doesn’t seem to share the United States' seemingly insatiable appetite for trading the lives of children for unfettered access to military grade weapons.

What to Take Away

Cartel violence is a tragedy. And yes, Mexico's economic disparity ensures a steady stream of recruits to the ranks of drug gangs. And yes, systemic corruption within Mexico's government, military and law enforcement ensures that cartels often enjoy a hands-off policy toward their illegal and violent activities. These are all components of the crushing cycle of death, fear, and shattered lives that radiates from cartel activities. And while Mexico pays the highest price in human lives in this Dionysian drama, Mexico is by no means the only actor on the stage.

It is important that those of us living in the U.S. and Canada understand our involvement in drug violence, and that we be sympathetic to its victims. But it is equally important that we don't allow it to paint our mental portrait of Mexico or the Mexican people. The beauty of Mexico - the landscapes, the architecture, and the people - is a unique convergence of a place and a history that is a gift to the human experience. Have empathy for those in Mexico affected by criminal activities, but don't let criminal activity become how you define Mexico. Such a perspective is its own kind of tragedy.

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1. Mazatlan - once a very popular destination for foreign tourists, but recently less popular - is in the state of Sinaloa ↩︎

2. This newsletter is focused on Mexico, but really most places in the world see tourists as an easy mark for property crime ↩︎