Plan Mexico and the U.S.-Funded Militarization of Mexico
We broadcast a report from Mexico produced by “Inside USA” (Al Jazeera English) on the U.S. role in Mexico’s growing drug war. And we speak about the Plan Mexico initiative with Avi Lewis, Laura Carlsen and John Gibler.
As the WTO talks collapse, we turn now to the country perhaps most profoundly impacted by U.S. trade during the neo-liberal era. In the fifteenth year since the North American Free Trade Agreement was signed, Mexico continues to fall short of the lofty gains that backers of neo-liberal globalization had promised. Today, polls show that by a two to one margin, Mexicans believe they’re on the losing end of NAFTA.
The latest U.S. initiative in Mexico is also attracting scrutiny. Last month, the Bush administration and the Democratic-led Congress agreed on “Plan Mexico”, a four-hundred million-dollar program to fight Mexican drug trafficking.
Much like its predecessor “Plan Colombia”, the Mexico initiative has been criticized for emphasizing militarization and security rather than addressing social and economic causes. The bulk of the money will go to military contractors and Mexico”s armed forces. The final version of the bill also omits several key provisions that would have linked funding to human rights.
In a few moments we’ll talk to three guests about “Plan Mexico.” But first we turn to an excerpt from last week”s episode of “Inside USA”, an investigative news program airing on the network Al Jazeera English.
Excerpt From “Inside USA” (Al Jazeera English)
We are joined now by three guests.
Avi Lewis, host of ‘Inside USA’, airing weekly on Al Jazeera English. He’s also a filmmaker. Along with Naomi Klein, he made the 2004 documentary ‘The Take’, about Argentina’s recovered factory movement.
Laura Carlsen, he director of the Mexico City-based Americas Policy Program of the Center for International Policy. She has written extensively on U.S.-Mexico relations and blogs at the website AmericasMexico.blogspot.com. She is author of the report ‘A Primer on Plan Mexico’
John Gibler, independent journalist and Global Exchange Human Rights Fellow based in Mexico. His forthcoming book is called “Mexico Unconquered: Chronicles of Power and Revolt.”
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