Losing the Mexico Drug War: One Protest at a Time
Ashley Mosteller /
Galvanized by the brutal slaying of his 24-year old son on March 28, Mexican poet and intellectual Javier Sicilia has become the loudest voice of discontent in the ongoing war against criminal organizations in Mexico.
The murder of Juan Sicilia and six other youth is only a snapshot of the violence that has claimed more than 35,000 lives since 2006. Sicilia’s cries of frustration are justified, capable of awakening the Mexican people to the necessity of fighting crime at every level of society.
Unfortunately, in his rage he has lost sight of who and what to truly challenge.
In an open letter to the Mexican people, Sicilia lambasts the Calderon administration for “launching a war without realizing the consequences” and clinging to a strategy that is “badly planned, badly carried out and badly led.” He rails against self-interested politicians and corrupt officials that create an environment of impunity and fail to hold the people’s confidence. (more…)