President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is militarising public security
The latest constitutional reform will complicate the fight against drug gangs
The Ayotzinapa case typifies Mexico’s law-and-order problems. In September 2014 in a town close to Mexico City, 43 trainee teachers were abducted and killed, with the involvement of government security forces. Yet a decade later President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who once promised to resolve the case, has used his last month in power to push through a constitutional reform that will fully militarise federal forces. It bodes badly for both public safety and democracy.
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This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “Military might”
From the September 28th 2024 edition
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Justin Trudeau is wrecking Canada’s liberal dream
His failings hold lessons for liberals the world over
The beating of Argentina’s former first lady fits a shameful pattern
Progress against the scourge of violence against Latin American women has been patchy
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Illegal trade in wildlife thrives in the world’s most biodiverse region
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Deaths in the Amazon are bringing matters to a head
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