U.S. Tells Mexico: Drug War’s Failure Requires New Strategy

While it’s unclear how these remarks would translate into policy, Mexico could suggest that they either change or replace the Merida Initiative, an agreement signed in 2008 under which the U.S. has handed Mexico billions of dollars in security aid, said the Mexican official. In response to an e-mailed request for comment about Gonzalez’s remarks, the U.S. National Security Council’s press office said that strategies “must evolve just as criminal groups have evolved, and we should be willing to objectively evaluate our own approach.”

“Elements of the Merida Initiative as originally designed may not be effective for the challenges of today,” the NSC said. “We should be doing more to target money laundering, pre-cursor chemicals, the role of China in fentanyl trafficking through Mexico, as well as investing in economic opportunity and crime prevention.” The State Department declined to comment. Mexico’s Foreign Ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

President Joe Biden has pledged to take action to curb gun violence. Democrats in Congress are reintroducing several gun control bills, including an expansion of background checks for purchasers. The Mexican official said a ban on assault weapons would be a crucial step. On the campaign trail in 2019, Biden promised to push for such a ban, though it would be difficult to pass in the Senate.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has taken a new direction in combating violence in the country, pushing to address the social causes of violence and arguing the country needs “hugs not bullets.” Homicides are still sky-high, hitting nearly 35,000 in 2019 and only falling slightly in 2020 amid pandemic restrictions.