Mexico's President Felipe Calderon has few choices in drug war; creates new security plan

Stretched thin in an uphill battle against drug gangs, the government of Mexican President Felipe Calderon faces increasingly stark options at a pivotal moment.

A fatal Sept. 15 grenade attack on civilians in western Mexico, coming on top of a steadily rising death toll nationwide, drastically altered the stakes in the nearly 2-year-old crackdown, reports Ken Ellingwood.

Calderon now has little room to pull back without appearing beaten. But the attack, which killed eight people during an Independence Day celebration in Calderon's home state of Michoacan, is testing the public's stomach for the increasingly savage conflict.

"The violence is not going to stop soon. There will be more actions," political analyst Alfonso Zarate warned last week in the daily El Universal newspaper.

"However, neither the government nor the public can turn back."

Meanwhile, the BBC is reporting this morning that Calderon has sent a new security plan to Congress that includes a proposal to set up a department to monitor and tackle corruption among Mexican police. Mexico's corrupt police force is one of the biggest obstacles to effectively tackling the drug lords in the country, and reform is underway.

Click here for more on Mexico and go to our Mexico Under Siege page for more on the drug war in the country.

-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City

Photo: A soldier stands guard Sept. 17 over the plaza in Morelia, Mexico, in which explosions two days earlier killed eight people and injured more than 100. Credit: Deborah Bonello / Los Angeles Times.

Comments

[Stephen]

One thing to remember, fortunately, is that while media sensationalism could cause many to believe all of Mexico is awash in drug cartel violence, such thankfully is not yet the case. Much of Mexico has yet to feel the horrible effects of the wars between the cartels and the government. Most of the violence, so far at least, has been localized in the northern states closest to the US border, wtith the exception of Michoacan, President Calderon's home state. Those of us living elsewhere in Mexico hope it does not spread further to encompass all of Mexico.