What if we have to intervene next door?

OP-ED: Mexico's Instability Is a Real Problem, By JOEL KURTZMAN, Wall Street Journal, JANUARY 16, 2009

The danger that Latin America once again becomes an active arena for U.S. military involvement (we are always somewhat involved, I'm talking about where the public's sense of intervention is activated by events and magnitude) looms for two reasons: the global downturn eventually reaches there (despite the political bravado down there) and the drug violence is distinctly heating up.

Point being: the auto-pilot quality of the past decade isn't likely to work. Neither subject (pushing more economic inclusiveness with trade agreements and figuring out an alternative path to the dysfunctional (certainly for Mexico) drug war) are ones Obama would gladly tackle in the near-term, and yet, events may force him to do so.

(Thanks: Anonymous)

Comments

[Brad B.]

Hopefully Obama's vow to oppose Colombia's Free Trade Agreement. was just campaign talk. The Hill seems to think that even though Pres. Obama opposed the free trade agreement, the bill would have a better chance of passing with him than with McCain as pres... I'm hoping he does the right thing here. It'll be a good indicator policy wise.

[Louis Heberlein]

This is another situation requiring a bottom up solution. Fortunately, we have more folks living in US that understand the culture and conditions of these area than we did on Iraq and Afghanistan.