President Obama with Mexico President Enrique Pena Nieto: What
will Obama say about battling drugs while multiple U.S. states
are
legalizing marijuana?
Guns, Drugs
and Money Laundering: What Does Obama Want from Mexico? (El Universal, Mexico)
"While
here we bury the dead of this war, there they are providing the places and conditions
for marijuana consumption. Nor is there any evidence that political forces in
the United States are willing to halt the free sale of weapons, nor is there any
indication that a serious crusade against money laundering is in the offing. Is
President Obama willing to engage in discussions vital to eliminating the root causes
of drug trafficking, or will he simply tell us that in our bilateral relations,
we are subordinate to them?"
Today the president of the United States, Barack Obama, arrives
in the country for a working visit. He will hold high-level talks with President
Enrique Peña Nieto on the bilateral agenda, which, as
the Mexican government has insisted on in recent weeks, will not be limited to security
issues.
In Mexico, but also in some influential sectors of our
neighboring country, agenda items considered subordinate to security must
regain their importance: investment, trade, migration, geopolitical collaboration,
and diplomacy. All the forgotten issues that remain relevant on both sides of
the border.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
Starting today, what the U.S. really wants of our country
will be clearer. President Obama faces pressure from hard-line political sectors
of his country concerned by the fact that security is no longer the focal point
of relations with Mexicans. And, to some extent, we have been willing to play a
subordinate role with respect to Washington's wishes and policies. Is that the
Mexico Obama has come in search of?
The reality is that the fight against narco-trafficking
is far from resolved. In the first months of the Nieto Administration, the same
levels of violence have been recorded as existed at the end
of President Felipe Calderon's mandate. Which incidentally, are the highest in Latin America, by far exceeding
Brazil or any Central American country. The job is unfinished, yes, but within
the framework of what is a global effort.
With respect to the United States, for example, there is appears
to be little or no effort to reduce the consumption of drugs. What would a
concrete commitment to do so by that country look like, and what time scale
would it have? In that sense, this topic takes on a different hue in light
of the legalization of marijuana in some states in the American Union. That is,
while here we bury the dead of this war, there they are providing the places
and conditions for consumption.
Nor is there any evidence that political forces in the
United States are willing to halt the free sale of weapons, nor is there any
indication that a serious crusade against money laundering is in the offing. Is
President Obama willing to engage in discussions vital to eliminating the root causes
of drug trafficking, or will he simply tell us that in our bilateral relations,
we are subordinate to them?
Understanding what the United States wants from us, and
letting it know what its neighbor Mexico wants will in fact be the basis for bilateral
diplomacy in the years to come.