Countering Violence Along the United States-mexico Border: Thinking Strategically

Publisher Marketing: The United States (U. S.) and Mexico need to create and employ a clearly defined border security strategy to correct the shortfalls in current efforts. The U. S. has no overarching border security strategy and relies on strategic documents that could be judged as poorly written and lacking sufficient guidance to drive action along the U. S.-Mexico border. As a result, the ad hoc U. S.-Mexico border security strategy is unsuccessful in countering violence along the U. S.-Mexico border, where drug-related violence, including kidnappings, brutal murders, and assassinations are routine. This violence is carried out by transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) that operate with impunity in Mexico. The drug-related violence and lack of security are the subjects of U. S. Congressional hearings, interagency policy committees, bilateral agreements, government assistance programs, and the focus of multi-agency initiatives and programs. Despite these efforts, the border remains unstable and filled with violence. This research provides recommendations to achieve security both at the U. S.-Mexico border and within the interior of both countries. If these recommendations are implemented, the U. S. and Mexico would have a bonafide bilaterally agreed upon strategy to implement actual strategic change, rather than a continuing list of failures.