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Mexican President Felipe Calderon sent a security reform package to the Mexican Congress on Sept. 30. Mexico’s security apparatus is waging a bitter war against drug cartels. And as the death toll rises, Calderon faces increasing pressure to bring the violence under control. However, despite Calderon’s concerted efforts, security reform will be extremely difficult to achieve.
Forged in a meeting Calderon held with Mexican security officials and the leaders of all 32 Mexican states, the bill is the latest in a series of reforms. This bill proposes the creation of a national database of criminals and increased penalties for drug- trafficking offenses, while substituting rehabilitation therapy for drug abusers in place of incarceration. The measure also establishes a new department that will oversee anti-corruption efforts in the federal forces and proposes to enhance coordination of state- and municipal-level police forces with federal-level forces.
Calderon’s recent initiatives are by no means out of the ordinary for his administration, which has been characterized by a great deal of reform. However, the security situation in Mexico has given the issue new impetus as the violence increases. The death toll for cartel-related violence for 2008 thus far stands at about 3,100, compared to a total death toll of 2,500 in 2007. To put that in context, the total number of U.S. combat deaths in Iraq since the beginning of the war in 2003 is just under 3,400. Mexico stands a good chance of beating that number in 2008 alone.
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