La Jornada: Editorial
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, announced yesterday that his government intends to classify Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations. If adopted, such a measure would oblige U.S. financial institutions to block any account linked to said groups or their members, as well as to report to the authorities of the country the existence of the funds they manage, in addition to prohibiting entry into U.S. territory and allowing the deportation of any person designated as a member of a terrorist group.
Beyond the aforementioned effects, the Republican president's claim has very serious implications for the bilateral relationship and for the internal life of Mexico.
First, it should be remembered that the US counter-terrorism policy is based on a series of provisions approved during the administration of George W. Bush (2001-2009), which are characterized by their discretionary authoritarianism internally and, in the external world, by a contempt for national sovereignty by enshrining armed intervention against any country as a prerogative of whoever is in charge of the White House.
In addition, the invocation of the fight against terror generates a series of economic problems, since it entails the possibility of imposing sanctions on a State - in this case, ours - whenever, according to the totally arbitrary judgment of Washington, it does not satisfactorily fulfill its role in the fight against terrorist activities.
Moreover, it is obvious that the classification of drug gangs as terrorist organizations would put Mexicans on both sides of the border in a very precarious situation, both because of threats to their security and economic aggressions that it may lead to, as well as further exacerbating anti-Mexican xenophobia among broad sectors of U.S. society, which Trump's racist discourse has done in recent years. Between 2017 and 2018 hate crimes against people of Hispanic origin shot up 41 percent, according to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Although it is likely that the tycoon has expressed his intentions for electoral reasons (because stoking the perception of Mexico as a country on the verge of collapse is a recurring theme of Republican politicians at election time), the truth is that the mere expression of this intention has extremely worrisome practical consequences.
As Secretary of Foreign Relation Marcelo Ebrard pointed out, it is an inadmissible presumption that would imply Washington's intervention in Mexican territory and in matters that exclusively concern Mexico, and it also lacks any justification, since it ignores the sharp difference between terrorism and organized crime.
In sum, Trump's announcement constitutes a serious threat that Mexican society and the government must reject in a direct and forceful manner. Spanish original
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, announced yesterday that his government intends to classify Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations. If adopted, such a measure would oblige U.S. financial institutions to block any account linked to said groups or their members, as well as to report to the authorities of the country the existence of the funds they manage, in addition to prohibiting entry into U.S. territory and allowing the deportation of any person designated as a member of a terrorist group.
Beyond the aforementioned effects, the Republican president's claim has very serious implications for the bilateral relationship and for the internal life of Mexico.
First, it should be remembered that the US counter-terrorism policy is based on a series of provisions approved during the administration of George W. Bush (2001-2009), which are characterized by their discretionary authoritarianism internally and, in the external world, by a contempt for national sovereignty by enshrining armed intervention against any country as a prerogative of whoever is in charge of the White House.
In addition, the invocation of the fight against terror generates a series of economic problems, since it entails the possibility of imposing sanctions on a State - in this case, ours - whenever, according to the totally arbitrary judgment of Washington, it does not satisfactorily fulfill its role in the fight against terrorist activities.
Moreover, it is obvious that the classification of drug gangs as terrorist organizations would put Mexicans on both sides of the border in a very precarious situation, both because of threats to their security and economic aggressions that it may lead to, as well as further exacerbating anti-Mexican xenophobia among broad sectors of U.S. society, which Trump's racist discourse has done in recent years. Between 2017 and 2018 hate crimes against people of Hispanic origin shot up 41 percent, according to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Although it is likely that the tycoon has expressed his intentions for electoral reasons (because stoking the perception of Mexico as a country on the verge of collapse is a recurring theme of Republican politicians at election time), the truth is that the mere expression of this intention has extremely worrisome practical consequences.
As Secretary of Foreign Relation Marcelo Ebrard pointed out, it is an inadmissible presumption that would imply Washington's intervention in Mexican territory and in matters that exclusively concern Mexico, and it also lacks any justification, since it ignores the sharp difference between terrorism and organized crime.
In sum, Trump's announcement constitutes a serious threat that Mexican society and the government must reject in a direct and forceful manner. Spanish original