Is Mexico's drug offensive working?
July 13, 2009 | 1:24
pm
Ken Ellingwood and Tracy Wilkinson report on the progress made so far by President Felipe Calderon's 2 1/2-year offensive against Mexico's drug traffickers.
Calderon launched the military offensive 10 days after assuming office in December 2006, saying it was necessary to restore government authority in parts of the country. Today, 2 1/2 years later, Calderon and Mexico face a stark reality: The longer and harder the war is prosecuted, the more complex and daunting it becomes.
The offensive has exposed corruption so widespread that key institutions, from police forces to city halls, appear rotten to the core. And a battered society has grown increasingly worried about the effects of the massive military deployment on its democracy.
The offensive has exposed corruption so widespread that key institutions, from police forces to city halls, appear rotten to the core. And a battered society has grown increasingly worried about the effects of the massive military deployment on its democracy.
Read the rest of the report here, and watch the video below for a tour of Mexico's Museum of Drugs.
For more stories on Mexico's drug war, go to our Mexico Under Siege page.
-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City
