Essay Sample on Merida Initiative

Step 1

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Schelter, C. (2017). Mexico and the Merida Initiative: Surveying the Risks Ahead - Latin America Working Group. Lawg.org. Retrieved 17 March 2017, from http://www.lawg.org/component/content/article/79/195

The Merida Initiative signed between USA and Mexico was targeted towards the eradication of drug trafficking and gun violence across the two nations. Considering the desperate situation going on between the two countries, USA signed a $2.5 billion fiance agreement to help in curbing the situation in Mexico. The deal targeted to the training of Mexicos armed forces, the correctional system, the judicial system, border patrol, canine units and provision of screening machines at the borders.

The implementation of the initiative has bored little positive results. Hence it is important that the proposed mechanism of combating drugs and gun violence in Mexico be reviewed. In order to reduce gun violence between cartels in Mexico, the arable land in the country that is used in the planting of poppy and marijuana, the owners of these farms can be given other cash crops to plant that can help provide for their economic sustenance. This tactic will help reduce the production of drugs all across Mexico. The other tactic to help reduce the trafficking of drugs into the USA, creating awareness against drugs within the USA as gun violence is very much related to demand for drugs.

Step 2:

U.S.-Mexican Security Cooperation: The Merida Initiative and Beyond. (2017). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 17 March 2017, from https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R41349.pdf

Since the inception of the Merida Initiative, crime in Mexico reduced through 2011 to 2014 but rose again in 2015 and 2016. Lives have been claimed all throughout Mexico by the warfare between cartels; this has made it impossible for the Merida initiative to pass through. There is a need for a reassessment of the policy in a way that would suit newer ways of fighting the drug loads of Mexico. In order to reduce the infiltration of drugs into America, the demand for drugs needs to be reduced in order to reduce the violence due to low product demand.

The Merida Initiative | U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico. (2017). U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico. Retrieved 17 March 2017, from https://mx.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/policy-history/the-merida-initiative/The Merida initiative was launched on three basic pillars, stopping the flow of weapons into Mexico, the flow of money and the demand for drugs across America. The institutionalization of the rule of law in Mexico, the creation of a 21st-century border, building of strong and highly resilient communities that are anti-drugs. The Merida Initiative needs to be spanned over a number of years. Currently, the situation in Mexico has not got any better. The use of joint intelligence will greatly help in sharing critical information to both US and Mexican investigation and monitoring teams at border controls.

POTUS Memo

The Merida Initiative has played a critical role in opening up communications between Mexico and the United States of America. The joint force project targeted the elimination of drug trafficking, money laundering and weapon trafficking between these two states. Over the years these project has played a critical role in reducing the above mentioned social ills, despite its success, the killings in Mexico have not ceased. The drug trafficking problem in Mexico has always been an ever increasingly problem, and the killing of civilian life like the disappearance of 43 students and killing of 30 people has escalated the issue with Mexico. The following recommendations are going to help improve the situation in the country for the better;

There is need to boost local sustainability in Mexico. The ease of doing business in Mexico poses a major challenge to development, lack of basic infrastructure and financing services has decreased the investment spirit among Mexicans. Boosting the ease of doing business will help in setting up of other facilities where business can be conducted easily, and the citizens can generate subsidiary income. Working in collaboration with the government of Mexico, the nation can look into improving agricultural practices in the nations. This would help reduce the influx new individuals into the drug business, this option allows for the diversification of the economy.

Another solution is the introduction of other cash crops that can be used as a source of income. Currently, most of the arable land in Mexico is used for the growth of poppy and marijuana, in most cases, these farmers are dependent on the growth of drugs in order to eke out a living. The shift to investment to cash crops can help reducing the number of drugs flowing out of Mexico. Social reforms can be followed up to help build a highly collaborative and anti-drug community of farmers. Social reforms play a critical role in raising a generation that is totally unaware of the infamous narcotics business going on over at Mexico; the current population should be helped to cut themselves from their participation in narcotics, weapons and money laundering across the US and the Mexico.

As recently noted, there is a correlation between the killings in Mexico and the demand for drugs in the US. Taking away the best customers from the drug dealers will aid in reducing the population dependent on drugs and this factor alone will help to reduce the demand for narcotics in the US. A key issue that has always come up in many political meetings such as the UN is the legalization of certain drugs. Reduction of demand for drugs can be implemented through the creation of rehabilitation centers, awareness on the harmful effects of drugs to their personal health.

Usage of automatic weapons is another factor that has contributed highly to cases of violence in Mexico. Most of the guns are believed to be smuggled from the USA. There is a need for policies against trafficking of weapons to reduce the availability of arms can criminal organizations. There is need to reduce the number of guns owned by individuals, licensing and audit of gun dealers shops should be watched. There is a need for policies to ban the importation of lethal weapons and distribution to different markets. There is a need to conduct proceedings for the repealing of Weapons Ban reversal act of 2004 to help in reducing the number of arms that can own by a given individual. All the above rules will reduce the number of guns flowing through to Mexico; this would help in reducing gun violences that have haunted the nation and left so many people dead over the years.

Work Cited

Merida Initiative. (2017). Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 17 March 2017, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/merida-initiative/

Schelter, C. (2017). Mexico and the Merida Initiative: Surveying the Risks Ahead - Latin America Working Group. Lawg.org. Retrieved 17 March 2017, from http://www.lawg.org/component/content/article/79/195

U.S.-Mexican Security Cooperation: The Merida Initiative and Beyond. (2017). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 17 March 2017, from https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R41349.pdf