Wish I’d said it… (one of an infinite series)

While I’m no slouch when it comes to keeping up with Mexican politics and U.S. policy, Esther at “From Xico” has used the prospective appointment of Carlos Pascual as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico as reason enough to write three posts (here, here and here) that are better analysis than anything I could possibly do. And, given that Esther noticed that none of the big-budget “mainstream” media covered this important foreign policy decision, she’s probably doing better than anyone at the “think tanks” could have done as well.

Obama seems to be thinking it’s enough to put a velvet glove on old approaches.  But militarization — increasing militarization — solves nothing in a way we’d want things solved: it doesn’t solve underlying social problems, unequal distribution of wealth, increasing job losses due to the economic crisis, the terrible effects on local livelihoods of globalization, not just from NAFTA, but starting in the 1980s.  Militarization also kills and maims people and destroys families and jobs.  And creates anger among civilians affecte.  Militarization does nothing for  drug treatment.  For civilian law enforcement.  Militarization supports perhaps Calderón, but Calderón certainly isn’t Mexico.

If the US can commit millions, even billions to militarizing Mexico further, it can commit some money to teaching Americans, including the president, about Mexico.  And the teachers need to come from various places in Mexico, not from the State Department.  I wonder what images Obama and crew have in their minds of Mexico.

I guess I hope that Calderón has success squashing the cartels, but I’m not at all sure the heavy hand of the US is what they want supporting them.

Plus, if I understood him correctly, Obama still doesn’t get the connection between US drug prohibition and Mexican narco business. And they’re backing off illegalizing assault weapons.  What kind of country makes it legal to have assault rifles in your house?

Anyay, I’m wondering if my previous enthusiasm for Pascual as ambassador was misguided. By the way, La Jornada and El Universal report that indeed  Pascual has been nominated to be Ambassador to Mexico.  Now that there is no star-quality American government person traveling in Mexico, the NYTimes seems to think mentioning Mexican news of a nonviolent nature is so yesterday.  Not a word of Pascual’s nomination in that august journal.