02-06-2024, 12:50 PM
(02-06-2024, 12:27 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: I think that the correct answer should be for Mexico to deploy it's own military to wiping out the cartels. However, have you ever wondered why they tolerate the cartels? Likely because they line the pockets of all of the important people in the Mexican government, law enforcement and military, similar to the way corporations do in the US.
Mexico has deployed their military. The Mexican Naval Infantry Corps (i.e. Marines) fight the cartels throughout the country. They are one of the few branches that haven't been widely corrupted. However, fighting them at a level like this simply won't work, even if the United States becomes involved. It is a failing plan from the beginning. These organizations have massive reserves that range from the citizens in abject poverty to those who glorify what they do. Millions of people. You can find numerous articles detailing firefights between the marines and cartel members that often end in a decisive victory for the Mexican military but it makes no difference. You kill 10, 20 more arrive. It is similar to Vietnam in this sense; you could go through the entire conflict and win every single engagement but still lose the war.
The only way to defeat the cartels or significantly decrease their power would be to remove their main source of revenue, which is drugs. If the United States legalized the sale of hard drugs, cartel finances would be devastated. I think we all know that the chances of that happening are zero.
