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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Mexico Under Siege: Can Calderon Rein in the Cartels?

    Mexican President Felipe Calderón's crackdown on drug cartels has been met with brutal violence, including the beheadings of local police. His third-ranking public official was assassinated in Mexico City, and a federal policeman is one of those accused in the killing.

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    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    Mexican President Felipe Calderón's crackdown on drug cartels has been met with brutal violence, including the beheadings of local police. His third-ranking public official was assassinated in Mexico City, and a federal policeman is one of those accused in the killing. Calderón calls these "acts of desperation" that prove the success of his efforts. The Bush Administration wants to send helicopters, planes and inspection scanners to help Calderón, but members of both parties in Congress have their doubts. Others say Mexico is beginning to look like Colombia. Should the US help Calderón fight his drug war, bolster the rule of law or use the money to protect its own border? What about curbing demand and supplies of illegal weapons?

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Drugs, Corruption and Violence South of the Border
    1. 1:37Senator Ted Kennedy Has Malignant Brain Tumor
    2. 7:34Mexico Under Siege: Can Calderon Rein in the Cartels?You’re reading this
    3. 43:17Kennedy's Historic Role in US Politics
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • KCRW placeholder

      Katie Cooper

      Producer, 'One year Later'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Frances Anderton

      architecture critic and author

    • KCRW placeholder

      Alfredo Corchado

      U.S.-Mexico border correspondent, The Dallas Morning News

    • KCRW placeholder

      Franc Contreras

      freelance correspondent

    • KCRW placeholder

      Rafael Fernandéz de Castro

      director of UC San Diego’s Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Drugs, Corruption and Violence South of the Border
    1. 1:37Senator Ted Kennedy Has Malignant Brain Tumor
    2. 7:34Mexico Under Siege: Can Calderon Rein in the Cartels?You’re reading this
    3. 43:17Kennedy's Historic Role in US Politics
    Back to To the Point