In Mexico, the strained relationship between the government and cartels has resulted in the imbalance of resources. The country has been plunged with incidences of organized crime and drug trafficking, a factor that has led to instability in the country as asserted by Gallaher (2016). The head of states such as Felipe Calderon and Enrique Pena Nieto all during their terms have tried to wage war on the powerful drug cartels resulting into massive atrocities. Many people have since died in the violence against drugs and scores disappeared under circumstances that could not be explained. The drug-related episodes of violence have resulted in the prospect of Mexico turning into a failed state. The discussion will analyze the implications that Mexico will have on the future of terrorism in the rest of North America if it becomes a failed state.
The Mexican government perpetual war on drugs has led to an upset on the power distribution among the cartels. This has resulted in fighting among the cartels as they seek to dominate each other's routes. The fighting escalates to a point where alliances are formed between the cartels to defeat their counterparts. Such a formation may increase the likelihood of a terrorist attack in many regions of North America as each cartel would make attempts to attack each other to gain dominance over a given sect.
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Another factor that explains the likelihood of terrorism in the event that Mexico becomes a failed state is that the drug cartels are taking advantage of the public by terrorizing them in a bid to force the government to honor their demands. Many Mexicans have therefore been endangered by the prospect of terrorist attack creating an insecure environment all over the Northern American region. Terrorism in the form of kidnapping, killing, and theft has marked Mexico, and there is a possibility that it may continue to grow even in other regions of the Northern America.
Due to their ungovernable nature, the drug traffickers and cartels have infiltrated many countries of the Northern American region such as the United States to continue with their supplies and extortion. In their course of duty, they have corrupted and compromised the law enforcement agencies in these countries making the security of the citizens vulnerable. Due to their ties with some members of the judicial system, they have been able to carry out criminal activities such as kidnapping, extortion, and terrorism on a section of people who they feel is a threat to their business. The overall effect is that there is increased terrorist activity in the North American region.
The Mexican drug lords have a network of street gangs in the majority of the countries in the North America region who are locals in the respective countries. According to Morton (2012), the street gang members assist the Mexican drug traffickers with housing, information about the police, and most importantly, information about rival groups. This is dangerous in promoting terrorism in two major ways. First, it enables the occurrence of a well-orchestrated organized crime against rival groups and potential rivals and secondly the efforts of the police to apprehend the drug lords will be thwarted because they are well acclimatized to the new environment thanks to the street gangs.
A complete failure of the United States would also make it difficult for the government to prosecute known criminals who perpetrate acts of terrorism in the country. Therefore, because of the immunity they enjoy in the country, such criminals would tend to wage attacks on cartels in other nations to mitigate competition in the market. It would also be difficult for Mexico to transport criminals to the United States or other developed countries for prosecution because of their incapacitation.
Finally, a state of lawlessness and the prospect of a failed nation will cause Mexicans to migrate from their country to nearby nations. Grayson (2011) pointed out that illegal migrations would, in turn, lead to an influx of criminals and terrorists to other countries, a factor that may worsen the situation as far as terrorism is concerned.
References
Gallaher, C. (2016). Mexico, the failed state debate, and the Mérida fix. The Geographical Journal , 182 (4), 331-341.
Grayson, G. W. (2011). Mexico: Narco-violence and a failed state? . Transaction Publishers.
Morton, A. D. (2012). The War on Drugs in Mexico: a failed state?. Third World Quarterly , 33 (9), 1631-1645.
