Senator Leahy’s office has announced that the Senate will likely pass a multi-million dollar aid package to Mexico to help that government fight violent narco-traffickers, but warned Mexico to expect certain strings to be attached, including on human rights matters.
This it is much more an education and training issue than an ‘investigation and punishment’ issue. The U.S. and Mexican governments should address this problem much earlier in the life cycle, because this is another instance where human rights abuses and the arrogance of security forces turn the oppressed against the security forces (and supporting governments), hampering the ability of the police and army to successfully do their jobs (in this case, prosecute the war on drugs).
From a ‘funds spent’ point of view, a small percentage spent on education and reform could create a much better Return on Investment than simply attaching strings – it’s the old, “Teach a man to fish” analogy.
