Ambassadors Roundtable Series- Mexican Event Summary

As part of the Ambassador Roundtable Series on International Collaboration to Combat Terrorism and Insurgencies, The Homeland Security Policy Institute and the International Center for Terrorism Studies co-hosted Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan of Mexico, on May 7, 2008.

In September 2001, on his first trip abroad in office, President Bush said that “the United States has no more important relationship in the world than the one we have with Mexico.” Though the two countries are often distant neighbors, Ambassador Sarukhan believes that the US and Mexico are moving beyond a history of mistrust to a new strategic partnership.

One key component of that relationship is trade. NAFTA, said the Ambassador, has been a boon to both countries. Mexico is the US’ third largest trading partner; the total value of US-Mexican trade in 2007 was almost $350 billion.(1) This has bound Mexico to the US in ways never before possible and has contributed significantly to Mexico’s well-being – and not just in financial terms. According to Ambassador Sarukhan, the negotiations to implement and rules imposed by NAFTA had a political impact, forcing Mexico to become more accountable, transparent, and democratic.

Knowing the importance of good relations to Mexico’s well-being, the Ambassador said that it would behoove Mexico to improve security, as if ever a threat to the US materializes across the border, it would have serious consequences for the health of that relationship. To prevent this, Mexico is working closely with the US to secure the border. US customs officials, for example, work with their counterparts in Mexico to secure cargo destined for the US. Containers are inspected as they are loaded, sealed with padlocks and electronic monitors, and scanned by gamma ray detectors before traveling freely throughout North America. One benefit of increased security – as confirmed by Homeland Security undersecretary for intelligence and analysis Charles Allen(2)– is that no terrorist has infiltrated the US via its southern border since 9/11. Both countries are also working to shut down the flow of weapons from the US to Mexican drug syndicates.

Ambassador Sarukhan acknowledged that, despite good relations between high-level officials, mistrust has long been an factor in relations between law enforcement and other officials at the ground level. Now, combined, mutually-vetted units are leading the fight, ensuring excellent cooperation between police and other security officials. The US is providing both training and equipment, like night vision devices, to Mexican police. Both sides are working to develop joint early warning, emergency management, and rapid reaction capabilities. While there is still room for improvement, Ambassador Sarukhan believes great strides have been made.

Though both sides agree on the need to tackle organized crime and secure the border, the Ambassador said that one major area in which consensus has not yet been reached is immigration. Mexico, he said, does not view immigration as a security threat to the US. Instead, it is largely a question of labor mobility, matching labor and capital, and helping the US and Mexico compete together in the global economy. Mexico’s hope is a partnership with the US that generates economic growth to stop the flow of some of Mexico’s most entrepreneurial citizens across the border. The border fence, he said, is not slowing immigration, but is damaging delicate ecosystems and cross-border perceptions. Mexico’s ultimate goal is for every person who crosses the border to do so legally, though an appropriate immigration channel.

Securing the border requires both countries to tackle one of the greatest threats to mutual security, drug syndicates. More than simple smuggling operations, syndicates are a serious threat to the Mexican state, using violence and drug money to undermine rule of law and carve out their own spheres of power. In one drug raid, for example, Mexican forces captured $206 million in cash. These huge sums have generated corruption within the police and government. In order to counter this influence, Mexican President Felipe Calderón has deployed the armed forces to parts of the country where syndicates are particularly strong. Though Ambassador Sarukhan does not believe that giving a police role to the military is the best solution, he believes it is a necessary step while police capacity is reconstituted after years of being corroded by drug money.

As the military bears down on the syndicates, Ambassador Sarukhan believes that violence will increase, especially along the border. As smuggling routes are closed and markets are constricted, syndicates will increasingly battle each other and the government for what remains. Hundreds of police officers and gang members have already been killed in increased fighting. Syndicates are now moving into new areas of crime, including kidnapping, extortion, and human smuggling.

Furthermore, the syndicates are taking on an atomized, cellular structure, with little integrated command and control. As a result, removing kingpins is not an effective solution – leaders are rapidly replaced. While drug interdiction and eradication still have important roles to play, the Ambassador believes that they mostly serve to drive prices up, as demand is largely inelastic. Instead, Mexico is focusing on the “gatekeepers,” those few in each cell who are in contact with other cells. By taking these gatekeepers – and the huge sums of money they exchange – out of the equation, the government hopes to seriously hurt their business.

When asked by Frank Cilluffo, director of the Homeland Security Policy Institute, about security along Mexico’s infrequently-discussed southern border, Ambassador Sarukhan discussed Mexico’s relations with the rest of Latin America. The border with Guatemala, he said, is very difficult to secure. In response, Mexico has established a “deep defense,” moving security assets to the narrow Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The Ambassador is afraid that even if smuggling routes are shut down there, they will simply move to countries in the Caribbean. Mexico is working closely with other Central American partners, such as Nicaragua with its effective police force, and with Colombia to “bookend” Central America. Mexico is also seeking to deepen relations with Chile, Peru, and other partners in the Asia-Pacific rim.

The most important challenge for Mexican-US relations, said the Ambassador, is ensuring that both populations are stakeholders in the relationship. Though to outside observers it is obvious, for many in the US and Mexico the importance of the relationship can sometimes be obscured. The relationship is critical to both sides, as each country’s day-to-day security is dependent on the other. The Ambassador closed by calling on both countries’ leaders to take greater risks and make the effort to explain the importance of the US-Mexican partnership to their constituents.

1 http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c2010.html#2008
2 http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080411/us_nm/security_usa_qaeda_dc

The Ambassador Roundtable Series is designed to provide Ambassadors to the United States and their key diplomatic staff with a forum to discuss current and future counterterrorism and counterinsurgency efforts on a regional or country-specific basis. In an effort to draw upon various insights and experiences, the Ambassadors Roundtable Series builds upon and institutionalizes efforts over the past two years to engage in a dialogue with members of the international community, policy makers, and practitioners.

Mexican Resources

For further inquries, please email hspi1@gwumc.edu with the subject Ambassadors Roundtable Series Inquiries