Home > Uncovering Mexico > Archives > 2008 > June > 05 > Entry
Merida Initiative doomed?
But then both the U.S. Senate and the House trimmed the original aid amount and placed several conditions regarding human rights on the money (Mexico’s military, which would get a good chunk of the aid, has been accused of several atrocities during its time fighting the cartels). The aid package also calls for Mexico to implement civilian investigations of military abuses.
Mexico, always touchy when it comes to perceived meddling from its powerful neighbor to the north, has flatly rejected the conditions. Interior Secretary Juan Camilo Mourino has called the conditions “unacceptable” and “counterproductive.” And Mexican officials aren’t holding out hope that U.S. lawmakers, in an election year, will change their minds and remove the conditions.
Of course, Mexico doesn’t need the money as much now as it did a year ago, as it is swimming in a bonanza of oil money thanks to skyrocketing oil prices.
Comments
Click here to report comment abuse.
By Harry
June 5, 2008 1:12 PM | Link to this
Most justice organizations working on this issue find the supposed “conditions” which apply to only 25% of the proposed funding anyhow to be entirely inadequate and instead serves as potential cover for the ongoing impunity. No US taxpayer money should go to profit making military contractors like Blackwater to be established in Mexico. We need to see real progress in the murder of US reporter Brad Will and the many documented human rights violations still occurring in Oaxaca.
By dmeisenberg
June 6, 2008 7:53 AM | Link to this
Jeremy Waht are the conditions the Mexican officals are rejecting? d
By Jeremy Schwartz
June 6, 2008 11:54 AM | Link to this
D - Most of the conditions concern human rights within Mexico’s military, but also call for Mexico to make strides when it comes to rampant corruption among its law enforcement. The House version stipulates that no money shall go to any armed forces involved in human rights violations. Another condition requires civilian prosecution of military human rights abuses, which would require several laws to be changed here in Mexico. And the Congress is calling for a yearly report, which to many in Mexico sounds disconcertingly like the so-called “certification” program that so offended Latin American countries years ago. The report calls for updates on drug arrests and seizures, as well as updates on the pace of police reform, school attendance rates and Mexico’s human rights record. In essence, the Mexican government views these conditions as meddling. Some have also questioned the U.S.’s ability to monitor and judge human rights given the U.S. government’s use of waterboarding.
By the one
June 8, 2008 7:19 PM | Link to this
I don’t see anything wrong with putting conditions on money that is ours. I also think it is obvious that Calderon’s government isn’t being fully honest and that is why they don’t accept the conditions. They know that they are committing human rights abuses and that the money won’t be used properly and they are using the excuse that it is U.S. meddling as a way to hide the truth and try to convince us to take off the conditions. I say we should continue with the conditions and if they don’t like it then tough luck. They can go somewhere else begging for the money.
By martin
June 10, 2008 2:44 PM | Link to this
Here is a link that shows the “great job” that the mexican military is doing. Its in spanish, but for those of you who can’t read it I’ll give you a summary. There was a checkpoint in Cuahtemoc Chihuahua where a car with three people had mechanical problems and couldn’t stop. The Mexican military shot and killed all the people in the car. When police arrived the military didn’t allow the police to investigate. Furthermore they surrounded the car so that nobody could see what was going on. The people in the car were not drug dealers, nor did they possess drugs. Here is the link http://mx.reuters.com/article /topNews/idMXN0928029320080609
By the one
June 18, 2008 6:18 PM | Link to this
check this link that just came out. It clearly shows that Initiatives such as merida which just dump monetary and military resources into the drug war simply don’t work. The article just came out today on MSNBC and is titled. “shock rise in Colombian coca production” I think it is quite obvious that going down the same old path will result in the same old BS. Here is the link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25242986/