Can we do anything about it?
Another item, if the Mexican goverment refuses to change their ways, wipe out all their border towns and create a 10-mile wide "no mans land" on their side of the border.
Mexico is a problem at all times, but particularly right now because it is under leftist pressure (from Chavez). I think the US is afraid that making Mexico accept any responsibility for anything whatsoever will drive it into the arms of the left.
Fox was speaking at a conference in Europe today and defended the free market and private property, in the face of people like Chavez and Morales (who left the meeting and refused to come to the dinner!), so technically he's on our side. But he's an ineffective leader who is a bit flakey, not well liked, and unfortunately has decided that anti-AMericanism for domestic consumption is his secret formula. Remember that Mexico was one of the last states to send us official condolences after 9/11, mostly because Fox did not have the guts to oppose the left-wing Mexican legislature.
It's complicated, but I think that if we started treating Mexico as an equal - that is, a country that should at least be as responsible as Canada (which is not very responsible, but at least is not as hostile as Mexico), this would be a step in the right direction. It would also be a great support to the forces of law and order in Mexico, which is a state so corrupt they burn honest policemen to death in the streets for having opposed the local drug and prostitution lord (who probably also has a squad of coyotes at his command, trucking immigrants over in meat trucks). I am a translator and I translate a lot of commercial and legal documents from Latin America in general and Mexico in particular, and I think these countries would actually like to be legitimate, law abiding capitalist countries, but we are not giving them either the carrot or the stick to make them so.
I think what we need is an entirely different Mexico policy. I thought that Rice might bring a different approach to Latin America, but unfortunately, it seems as though the old State miasma has swallowed her. (Of course, I realize she's got a lot on her plate with Iran...)
We can't do anything to fix Mexico, unless we are willing to invade, take control and set up a new government. I am not being silly, the problem with Mexico is there are only two classes in Mexico; the wealthy elite and the very poor. Mexico does not have a middle class as we know it. The only way to move out of the underclass in Mexico is through illegal activities. The elite control Mexico and all the money in Mexico. The elite like things just as they are and do not want them to change.
The US has tried many ways to help Mexico over the years, everything has failed. The citizens of Mexico need to have a good old fashioned revolution. In the history of Mexico there have been many revolutions but they only changed leaders, and did not change their system so previous revolutions have not worked.
Money is not the answer, there is a lot of money in Mexico, and any we sent would only go into the pockets of those who have it all now. Mexico has plenty of natural resources too, but the elite will not use them to the full potential out of fear that the underclass might advance if they did.
Many have tried to invest and help Mexico- it hasn't worked.
Mexico now has a bigger problem than before, they have allowed drug lords and gangs to operate freely, because of corruption- now the drug lords and gangs have tremendous power. Mexico is the new Colombia, which is why the violence is spilling over into the US.