A reader of ClubOrlov responds to Mr. Orlov's revisiting of the Drug War:

As your only reader in Mexico (as per the "geovisitors" feature)(I am an American) I feel compelled to respond to your post. While the article describes the effects
of the drug war in the United States, it makes little mention of the war in Mexico.

Mexicans from all walks of life (from what I have seen, and the many people whom I've talked to)
feel embarrassed for their country, slightly frightened (at the destabilization of their country), financially troubled (tourism levels have significantly dropped), and angry at F. Calderón/PAN for plunging the country into a what cannot be called anything less than a full fledged domestic war.

The north of Mexico has become a slaughterhouse in urban areas,
and in the state of Michoacán, violence has spiraled to unprecedented levels with many people brutally murdered. A tragic corollary is an increase in the violence against women, in the form of beheading, torture, and severance of body parts after death.

Yet the narcotics trade has enriched Mexico with an influx of billions of dollars in foreign currency. This money provides employment and lucrative opportunities not otherwise available to extremely poor farmers and workers. An entire "narcoculture" has emerged (complete with patron saints) and will not disappear quickly. In short, the narcotics economy here is extremely complex, changes quickly with extreme violence, and is intricately intertwined with the "legitimate" economy. As such, some of your points are in danger of being gross oversimplifications of what is in reality a damned knotty problem.