Human Rights in Mexico: Elections, Drugs and Billionaires

Human Rights in Mexico: Elections, Drugs and Billionaires
Human Rights in Mexico: Elections, Drugs and Billionaires

Human Rights in Mexico: Elections, Drugs and Billionaires

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It’s been a year since Mexican President Felipe Calderon kicked off a U.S. style ‘War-on-Drugs’.  President Calderon deployed tens of thousands of Mexican Army troops within Mexico to fight drugs and organized crime.

In Mexico, many criminals are armed with U.S. weapons. 2,000 U.S. weapons enter Mexico each day, according to a Mexican government study.

Fights between drug cartels have cost 4,000 lives in the past 18 months, but security forces claim recent victories in the ‘narco-wars’. This week, Mexican Special Forces captured a suspected senior member of the powerful Sinaloa Drug Cartel. 

Sergio Aguayo is Professor of Political Science at El Colegio de México. He’s a leading analyst of human rights and security in Mexico.  Sergio’s concerned that Mexico‘s narco-wars create tensions between human rights and security.

He’s giving a talk today at the University of Chicago.  It’s called “Human Rights in the Mexican Labyrinth: Elections, Drugs, and Billionaires.”   That’s at 6pm at International House, 1414 East 59th Street.

Jerome spoke with Sergio this morning and he explained President Calderon’s motive for using the Mexican army to fight the drug lords…