Mexico: The Other Side of the Wall

Going over articles in Proceso on Mexico.  Here are some points from the July 3 edition.  Economia:  a report has been published by the American Chamber of Commerce in Mexico indicating that most U.S. firms operating in Mexico regard themselves as insecure and are having to pay more and more in order to bolster their security with the effect of undermining their profitability.  The report also notes that firms are displeased with the lack of transparency and the amount of corruption emanating from the state.  The overall conclusion is that the combination of these factors is likely to limit economic growth in Mexico.   Another significant item in the new is the murder of two jesuit priests by members of the Cartel Sinaloa, which has led the Catholic Church to openly criticize AMLO’s security strategy of abrazos, no balos, (hugs, not bullets), whatever this means. In Chihuahua, were the murders took place, the Cartel Jalisco de Nueva Generacion has anno...

Narco-Violence in Mexico These are more notes from Processo. This time from the July 10 edition (20). The Catholic Church, reeling after the killings of Jesuit priests in Chihuahua, has declared AMLO’s security strategy a failure and have convened a process of prayer and dialog among all actors in civil society to find a way to security peace.  AMLO has rejected this call to change directions on security policy and has added the church is aligned with the oligarchy and, if they are so upset with the narco violence now, why weren’t they equally indignant about the massacres of the Calderon era.  Church leaders answer back by pointing out the organizational efforts they are already making to stop the violence by means of providing aid to the victims of violence and to refugees of violence, while also engaging in efforts to encourage reconciliation between the violent and the violated.  They add that things are worse now than in the neoliberal era with organized crime demand...