Mexico's War

Mexico is at war. In Mexico's second largest city, Guadalajara, armed police behind armored trucks indicate that the drug cartels are threatening the city. They are positioned outside the police headquarters, on a busy street in the middle of downtown. Several times in the last two years, the building has been hit by granades. Fortunately, it has happened in the middle of the night - but two cops have been killed and several wounded. "It was my friend who died", says one of the police standing guard. "I don't want the same thing to happen to me. Being a cop now is dangerous." He studies business in the evenings, and English on Saturday mornings. He desperately wants to change his profession.

The drug cartels now control all areas around this city of around 6 million people. The attacks on the police headquarters are direct responses to the police's work against the country's drug cartels. If the police tries to work against them, the consequences will be deadly.

The average Mexican doesn't really see this war, but drugs are present in the streets and in the schools. The dealers are becoming richer and more powerful, whereas rehab clinics and AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) groups can be seen in most neighborhoods. In one of the largest private high schools, drugs are easily available. "I was in shock when I started here", says a student in his second year. "It is so easy to get a hold of marihuana. There are students who sell." But the school appears to be losing the war. After a couple of days with drug dogs at the beginning of the school year, the school could again be controlled by the drug dealers. And at the recent Halloween event in the middle of the day, the smell of marihuana filled the air on campus. The teachers are not informed about the presence of drugs, and administration turns a blind eye to the problems.

How, then, can Mexico's war be won when police take a defensive stand and schools deliberately overlook the obvious issues?