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Column 121205 Brewer

Monday, December 12, 2005

Mexican politics and the Americas affect

By Jerry Brewer

“Latin America should become more socialist and more

radical to move ahead,” Venezuela President Hugo
Chavez said last week while visiting a small village in
Uruguay. Too, he said this is necessary to meet the
“challenges facing its peoples.”

Once again Chavez professed to the world that the

U.S.-sponsored Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)
“is dead.” And besides Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil,
Paraguay and Uruguay are standing vigil over this
ceremonial body.

Yet to Mexico and the other 28 nations in support of the

FTAA, the wounded corpse refuses to be buried.

Probably the most competitive election in Mexican

history will take place in July 2006, and the field of
candidates is providing the people of Mexico with
disparity in style and contrast. As well, the nation faces
challenges such as the need for a proactive and
strategic fight against drug traffickers and violent
crime.

A recent video, anonymously given to the Dallas

Morning News, showed four men bruised, bloody and
bound on the floor. There was also an unseen
interrogator urging them to explain how they were to
enforce orders given by leaders of Mexico’s Gulf Cartel
for kidnapping, torture, execution, and the burning of
victim’s bodies to ashes. Their forced confessions
described the murder of a radio reporter who “didn’t
want to work anymore” for their cartel, and a chamber
of commerce leader who asked for federal help against
the violence and brutality of drug gangs. The video
concluded with a black-gloved hand reaching into the
picture with a 9mm pistol, and firing a bullet into the
head of one of the confessors.

This barbaric display of the scourge of drug supply and

demand is a sobering reminder to the citizens of Mexico
that justice ignored is justice denied. Complicating
democratic pursuit of this justice are the suspected
Zeta members on the video, stating their collaboration
with law enforcement officials. Two of the captors
revealed that they were former soldiers who worked to
recruit others from the military, as well as federal
agents, for the cartel.

The belief is that this execution was not carried out by

vigilantes fed up with crime and corruption, but through
the reach of Edgar Valdez Villarreal of the Sinaloa
Cartel. Enforcement officials reportedly have linked
Valdez, known as La Barbie, to the video as “an
operator in charge of distribution of drugs and
recruiting soldiers for the cartel.”

Mexican prosecutors state however that drug kingpins

purportedly want peace among themselves, with
respect for mutual territories. This coupled with their
desire to be invisible and not attract the wrath of
federal troops and police, who slow or interdict the flow
of narcotics to a US$30 billion drug habit.

Mexicans must exercise their voices and votes in the

forthcoming election, and now is the time to rise up and
demand action and plans from their candidates. Too, a
wrong choice could doom future hope for a proud
nation, and the need to offset world attention from so
many reports of death, violence and corruption.

Mexico must also keep a vigilant eye to the south, as

leftist agendas seep across borders and further plague
a people needing peace and prosperity.

U.S. officials claim that Chavez of Venezuela wants to

destabilize Latin America. Chavez, who has close
relations with Fidel Castro – and using their combined
leftist ideology, is fanning the flames.

Using oil as his leverage, Chavez lures partners for

trade and military procurement with highly visible arms
deals with Russia and Spain. Venezuela’s huge oil
reserves have tilted in favor of China. And by
introducing diplomatic initiatives with U.S. blacklisted
countries such as Iran and Libya, Chavez further
complicates his credibility factor.

Drug trafficking and narco-terrorism are also tied to

Latin American electoral processes. As far south as
Bolivia a leading presidential candidate in that nation’s
December 18 elections, Evo Morales, is ideologically
linked to other leftwing leaders such as Chavez, Castro,
and Argentina’s Nestor Kirchner. Morales makes the
allowance of coca leaf production a signature plank of
his candidacy.

In its advancing democracy, Mexico is coming up on an

historical crossroads for a more prosperous future. But
the important plans and goals of its leaders can only be
reached by becoming less susceptible to criminal
influence – and by not caving-in to the bullying of leftist
critics at home or fellow travelers from afar.

Stability, growth and success can best be achieved

through the democratic election of honorable
politicians, who are faithful to a system that demands
trustworthy leaders and receives effective governance.

——————————
Jerry Brewer, the Vice President of Criminal Justice
International Associates, a global risk mitigation firm
headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama, is also a columnist
with MexiData.info. He can be reached via e-mail at
Cjiaincusa@aol.com jbrewer@cjiausa.org