United States and Mexico's Collaboration Against Mexican Drug Cartels Essay

United States and Mexico's Collaboration Against Mexican Drug Cartels - Essay Example The main role of U.S. has been the supply of funding and intelligence to the Mexican authorities that support their domestic efforts in fighting the cartels. However, there have emerged cracks in this co-operation since it is becoming apparent that the two nations have divergent objectives in the fight (Stewart). While the Mexican government would like to eliminate or at least control the scourge at home, the U.S. government is more concerned with protecting her borders. In addition, some of the moves made in the U.S. such as the decriminalization of Marijuana are calling to question their commitment to the war and the extent to which they are willing to help fight the scourge. This paper will examine the efforts of these two neighboring States to combat jointly the drug cartels, with emphasis on the role of the U.S. in the partnership as well as how its actions weigh in on the fight. The U.S. drug strategy for Mexico is grounded on three principles, which are co-operation, containme nt, and willingness to take the responsibility for the problem (Walser 5). The co-operation between the two countries received a major shot in the arm when the former president Bush and Coldiron signed the Merida initiative that designated over $1, 4 billion dollars into Mexico and other South American nations. The idea  behind these funding was with the mandate to destroy the grip of organized crime in the regions (ONeil 64). In the recent past, the U.S has sent thousands of military personnel in Mexico to aid in training laws law enforcement agencies, they have also deployed drones to collect intelligence about the drugs crimes run-on sentence. In addition, over $3 billion is used in patrolling the U.S border to reduce the incidences of drugs being illegally brought into the United States.