Milenio, 2/28/2013
El soldado Bradley Manning se declaró hoy culpable de filtrar documentos clasificados a una tercera parte no autorizada, pero no de ayuda al enemigo, la acusación más grave a la que se enfrenta.
El acusado de la mayor filtración de documentos secretos de la historia estadunidense a WikiLeaks reconoció a través de su abogado civil, David Cooombs, haber poseído y transmitido a personas no autorizadas información clasificada.
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CNN, 9/11/11
Mexico’s offensive against the drug cartels that plague the nation has been fraught with controversy. Over the past four and a half years, tens of thousands have been killed, including many civilians, and the violence continues unabated.
The drug war is made up of hundreds of incidents and decisions, both public and behind-the-scenes, that the media dutifully reports, unless, as in the case of some Mexican media, there is self-censorship out of fear.
But even beyond what the media reports, there are nuances, context, and even facts that are not widely known outside privileged circles.
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El Paso Times, 12/13/2010
The Mexican government has no control of its 577-mile border with Guatemala, where arms, drugs and immigrant smugglers appear to have free rein, according to a U.S. diplomatic cable disclosed recently by WikiLeaks.
The document says that Mexico does not have enough resources to patrol the border.
“Limited resources also undermine the effort: while there are 30,000 U.S. CBP officers on the 1,926-mile Mexican/U.S. border, only 125 Mexican immigration officials monitor the 577-mile border with Guatemala,” the document states.
“The weakness of the state (Guatemalan government), the pervasive violence, the widespread corruption, and the country’s strategic location for drug trafficking are creating a very dangerous cocktail.”
The state of lawlessness in Guatemala is such that residents rely on the Zetas instead of police to provide security, the released documents say. The Zetas, who formerly worked for the Gulf cartel, are reported to be making inroads in Chihuahua state.
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President Barack Obama
The New York Times, 12/11/2010
President Obama for the first time joined in his administration’s diplomatic repair work in the wake of the disclosure of numerous American cables by WikiLeaks, calling the leaders of Turkey and Mexico on Saturday in an effort to smooth things over.
Separate White House statements about the phone calls did not characterize Mr. Obama’s messages as apologies, nor would administration officials. The statement about Mr. Obama’s call to President Felipe Calderón of Mexico began by describing it as congratulatory, to praise Mexico for its work in acting as host to the just-completed Cancún conference on climate change.
But the two presidents also talked about “the deplorable actions by WikiLeaks,” the statement said, “and agreed its irresponsible acts should not distract our two countries from our important cooperation.”
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The Washington Post, 11/4/2010
The U.S. government is turning to elite units of Mexican marines to go after drug cartel bosses in aggressive “capture or kill” missions, providing intelligence and training to bolster what officials say is Mexico’s most trustworthy and nimble force.
The effort includes more direct information-sharing and training than previously known, according to diplomats and law enforcement officials, and reflects a sense of urgency on the part of the U.S. government to find a professional partner to combat drug violence in Mexico that is seen as posing a threat to American security.
The U.S. government has long been wary of corruption among Mexican police and frustrated by the slow response of the Mexican army. The decision to rely on the marines has enabled that force to carry out the kind of rapid-strike operations undertaken by U.S. forces against Taliban leaders Afghanistan.
Based in the U.S. Embassy and in consulates in conflict zones along the border such as Matamoros, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration deliver “intelligence packages” about the location of drug bosses to the Mexican marines, who then charge into action, often within hours, sometimes capturing, sometimes killing their quarry in spectacular urban firefights.
1 Comment | Democracy and Elections, Security and the Rule of Law | Tagged: marines, Mexico, wikileaks | Permalink
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Carlos Pascual, El Universal, 12/3/2010
Al comentar sobre las notas informativas sobre los documentos clasificados que fueron ilegalmente proporcionados a WikiLeaks, un ministro de relaciones exteriores de otro país dijo a la secretaria Hillary Clinton: “No se preocupe. Ustedes deberían ver lo que decimos sobre ustedes”.
En esta frase humorística también existe una tragedia. Para realizar cualquier actividad con otros —ya sea bancaria, legal, periodística, financiera, médica, educativa o diplomática— se requiere confidencialidad. Las personas necesitan compartir información, evaluar situaciones, analizar prospectos y proponer opciones que pueden producir mejores resultados.
Si no se hace algo al respecto, los ataques contra la confidencialidad amenazarán nuestros empleos, nuestra capacidad de resolver problemas y el impulso a la creatividad en nuestras sociedades.
La divulgación ilegal de información clasificada ya ha tocado las relaciones entre los Estados Unidos y México. Nuestra respuesta es directa: no hay relación más importante para los Estados Unidos en el mundo y ninguna acción ilegal la va a socavar.
Estos hechos dominan: México y los Estados Unidos están ligados como pueblos. Somos socios en el comercio cuya prosperidad mutua depende del otro. Hacemos frente a las mismas amenazas causadas por enfermedades infecciosas, las organizaciones criminales y los desastres naturales. Compartimos la promesa de un futuro mejor si permanecemos unidos para trabajar y resolver los retos de cada día.
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Houston Chronicle, 12/3/2010
Diplomatic cables released Thursday by the website WikiLeaks reveal deep U.S. concerns over the progress of President Felipe Calderon’s crackdown on Mexico’s criminal gangs and the two countries’ cooperation in the effort.
The cables, released to selected European newspapers by the website, offer official confirmation of the rivalries, corruption and inefficiencies among Mexican security forces that have hampered Calderon’s campaign.
“Mexican security institutions are often locked in a zero-sum competition in which one agency’s success is viewed as another’s failure,” warns a January cable apparently written by John Feeley, second in command of the U.S. embassy in Mexico City, to U.S. intelligence and military agencies.
“Information is closely guarded, and joint operations are all but unheard of,” the dispatch continues. “Official corruption is widespread, leading to a compartmentalized siege mentality among “clean” law enforcement leaders and their lieutenants.”
Only a handful of more than 2,000 U.S. diplomatic cables related to Mexico have been released by WikiLeaks so far, these to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, which posted them on its website, as have Mexican newspapers.
The cables largely reveal U.S. diplomats doing their jobs – informing Washington of events in Mexico and back-room political wrangling that could affect American interests.
But the dispatches, and those released in coming days, are all but certain to fuel public debate here about Calderon’s strategy and U.S. involvement in it. In particular, criticism of Mexico’s army – an insular institution historically suspicious of the United States – may prove damaging to the binational relationship.
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El Pais, 12/2/2010
México necesita la ayuda de EE UU. Sus altos mandatarios, desde el propio presidente Felipe Calderón hasta funcionarios de la Secretaría de Gobernación o de la Procuraduría General de la República (PGR), aprovechan cualquier reunión con autoridades de EE UU para insistirles en su petición de ayuda tecnológica y de formación. A veces, hasta de manera angustiosa. Así lo hacen constar en sus informes al Departamento de Estado los diplomáticos estadounidenses que asisten a esos encuentros. Según se recoge en el cable 228419, que detalla una reunión mantenida con altos funcionarios de la Fiscalía General de EE UU, el entonces subsecretario de Gobierno de la Secretaría de Gobernación, Jerónimo Gutiérrez, reconoce: “Tenemos 18 meses, y si no conseguimos un éxito tangible que sea reconocible por los mexicanos, será difícil aguantar la confrontación en la próxima Administración”. Es muy importante tener en cuenta la fecha de esa reunión: 5 de octubre de 2009. Ya han pasado casi 15 meses y la situación de violencia en México, lejos de mejorar, empeora.
Es más, según recoge el autor del referido cable, el subsecretario Gutiérrez llega a dar a entender queel Gobierno mexicano ya ha perdido el control sobre ciertas zonas del país, algo que en público jamás ha reconocido ningún miembro del Ejecutivo de Calderón
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The Los Angeles Times, 11/30/2010
WikiLeaks has amassed 2,836 classified or secret records relating to Mexico, but the website has made no announcement on when or if any of those records will be released.
The Mexico records were discussed briefly in an online chat on Monday with the editor of the Spanish daily El Pais, which has been publishing some of the leaked U.S. diplomatic cables (link in Spanish). The editor, Javier Moreno, says the Mexico records are related to “the war against drug trafficking.” Moreno defended El Pais’ decision to publish leaked U.S. cables, saying his newspaper’s job is “not to protect governments.” He did not say whether El Pais will be publishing any records on Mexico.
On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called the leaking of the diplomatic cables “an attack on America’s foreign policy interests” and said her office would not be commenting on the contents of any specific leaked documents.
The Mexico records obtained by WikiLeaks originate mostly from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, but also come from consulates in Ciudad Juarez, Tijuana, Monterrey, Guadalajara and other cities,reports El Universal (link in Spanish).
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