Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Friday, May 16, 2008

Threats to legitimacy and sovereignty (and regime?)

President Felipe Calderón's government has so far been defined as much by the "war" with drug cartels as anything else. This issue was one of his campaign themes and a policy area in which he needs only minimal cooperation of the divided legislature. It also distracts from persistent poverty and the problems of declining oil production. Will Calderón be remembered as the drug war president? Maybe, but remember, it's still early in his sexenio.

Drug traffickers' hitmen kill top Mexico policeman

"Drug hitmen, one wielding a pistol with a silencer, shot dead one of Mexico's top federal police officers at his home Thursday, in a blow to President Felipe Calderón's fight against cartels..."




Mexico president says attacks against police show organized crime feeling heat

"President Felipe Calderón said Friday the killing of an acting federal police chief was an attempt by weakened gangs to counter his fight against drug trafficking..."




Mexico captures cousin of most wanted drug lord

"Mexican police Sunday captured the cousin of the country's most wanted drug lord, Joaquin “Shorty” Guzman, after a shoot-out in the northwestern city of Culiacan, the blood-stained base of his Sinaloa cartel..."




Thousands protest drug violence in Mexican border city after police director killed

"Thousands of white-clad people marched silently Sunday to protest a surge of drug-related violence in a Mexican city across from Texas where the No. 2 police officer was shot dead.

"The crowd of several thousand students, church leaders, businessmen and politicians walked for about four miles (six kilometers) across Ciudad Juarez to a park near a border crossing, breaking the silence in a burst of speeches, dancing and singing..."




Mexico says Sinaloa cartel ordered killing of federal police chief, arrests 5 suspects

"A police officer and four other people with suspected ties to a powerful drug cartel have been arrested in the assassination of Mexico's acting federal police chief, authorities said Monday.

[Sinaloa shown above in a map from Wikimedia Commons.]

"The three men and two women belonged to a criminal cell believed to be acting on the orders of the Sinaloa drug cartel..."




Mexico gunmen kill 2 police officers, assault headquarters in separate attacks

"Officials say two police officers were shot and killed in northern Mexico when they tried to stop gunmen from kidnapping a family...

"In a separate attack, assailants opened fire and threw grenades at a police station in Guamuchil in the northern state of Sinaloa..."




Mexico sends troops to fight Sinaloa drug cartel

"Mexico dispatched thousands of troops Tuesday to the state of Sinaloa, the heartland of a powerful drug cartel run by the country's most wanted man, following a wave of police murders..."


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1 Comments:

At 9:16 AM, Blogger Ken Wedding said...

21 May 2008

Two policemen shot, bodies dumped on Mexico highway

"Two Mexican policemen were shot and their bodies dumped in a car on a busy Mexico City-bound highway, police said Wednesday, the latest in a spurt of brutal drug gang murders near the capital.

"The bodies, which showed torture marks, were left with death threats directed at anyone backing powerful drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” (Shorty) Guzman, Mexico's most wanted man..."

 

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