On September 22nd, 2011, Brookings Institution was host to the event “Tackling Organized Crime in Mexico: Challenges and Opportunities”. The event featured the Mexico Institute’s director Andrew Selee as a panelist.
Over the past decade, certain regions of Mexico have faced ferocious violence and escalating corruption tied to drug trafficking syndicates and other related organized crime. The Mexican government has fought to establish effective security and socioeconomic policies to combat crime and the allure of the drug trafficking organizations, and has worked to reform police forces and the justice system. Under the weight of these challenges, relations between the U.S. and Mexico have become strained, and will only intensify as the 2012 U.S. presidential election nears. What’s more, Mexico’s crime has spilled over into Central America as well.
