Mexico's war against drug cartels continues. What began nearly two years ago with President Felipe Calderon's inauguration has since escalated in nearly every way possible. The past 12 months, in particular, have seen some significant developments as a result of Calderon's campaign. Weapons and drugs have been seized, key members of drug cartels have been arrested and greater cooperation has been established between Mexico and the United States. Despite the genuine hurdles presented by Mexico's bureaucratic infighting and rampant corruption, there is simply no denying that the government has disrupted the cartels' operations in meaningful ways. * * * One apparent paradox for the Calderon administration has been that, even while the government has clearly succeeded in damaging the cartels, the country's security situation has continued to deteriorate at what appears to be an unstoppable rate. The total number of drug-related homicides has continued to increase while the violence has continued to escalate in several ways, including high-level assassinations, beheadings, use of a growing arsenal of cartel weapons and the indiscriminate killing of civilians.
Calderon's enforcement actions have disrupted the organizational structure of and areas controlled by the drug cartels, and Stratfor's report provides a detailed analysis of each respective enterprise including its leadership heirarchy.
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