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April 30, 2010
Parsing Mexico; initial thoughts
Within the past several days, Arizona’s passage of a state immigration law that merely reinforces several provisions of existing federal law has captured center stage at a time when two other contentious issues: an oil rig disaster just off New Orleans and a political shift that will affect coming Florida elections aren’t fading. The two elements that all three controversies have in common are Mexico, our immediate southern neighbor, and the illegal cross border drug trade that’s been growing since Nixon’s election over forty years ago but has never been honestly addressed and is now being avoided more carefully than ever.Another key element left out of all discussions is that the four biggest sources of revenue for Mexico’s struggling economy have become illegal drugs, illegal immigration, petroleum, and tourism. That the first two are being increasingly curtailed by the US and the last two are declining is both a major conundrum and a reason that the two nations struggle to find common ground.
As must be clear to all thoughtful parties by now, the current situation is threatening political stability in Mexico and anarchy there must surely affect political stability here.
More later, as time permits.
Doctor Tom
Posted by tjeffo at April 30, 2010 04:21 PM