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Mexican War On Drugs Essay

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Summary
The Mexican War on Drugs is a conflict that has been raging since December 11th, 2006 when newly elected president, President Felipe Calderon, began to heavily crack down on drug trafficking and organized crime, sending 6500 troops to the Mexican state of Michoacán, with the hopes of ending drug violence in the region. Since then, the results have been bloody with over 160,000 casualties, including politicians, foreign journalists, and children. Furthermore, the government has had little success in accomplishing its goal of shutting down the drug cartels within Mexico, yet has no plans to stop the fighting anytime soon.

Opinion: Just or Unjust
Personally, I would classify The Mexican War on Drugs as an unjust war due to the enormous costs of the war and lack of results. Not only has it cost 71.6 billion dollars, but it has also cost the lives of over 160,000 people, mainly civilians. As well, it has created a state of political unrest in …show more content…

While not a textbook definition of a civil war, The Mexican War on Drugs can be classified as a civil war as the two combatants (The Mexican Government and drug cartels) are both from the same country. Furthermore, much like a normal civil war, the Mexican War on Drugs is a war for territory, with the cartels trying to gain land; the difference— the cartels are not trying to gain political power over the land, but rather be allowed to operate within it.
Causes of Conflict
There are two major causes of conflict visible within The Mexican War on Drugs, with the first being a “Clash of Interest”. It can be classified a such, as both combatants have opposing interests; the government wants to crack down on drugs to shut the drug industry down, while the cartels want to keep profiting from the sales of drugs. The second cause of conflict evident is “Imperialism & Economic Competition” as the Mexican government wants to expand their power in order to gain control over the drug cartels, and in-turn, shut them

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