The Mérida Initiative: A New Paradigm in Security Relations between Mexico, the United States and Central America

Security is one of the issues that dominates relations between the United States, Mexico and Central America, outranking even trade in terms of importance. The onslaught of organized crime in Mexico and Central America, particularly activities related to drug trafficking, has prompted the governments of these regions to step up their cooperation and informationsharing efforts. Meanwhile, Mexico’s top security forces —principally the military— are waging a “war on drugs” that has had major repercussions on all three countries Mexico shares borders with. According to Raúl Benítez Manaut, notions of absolute sovereignty have been set aside in favor of the resolution of security issues, marking a complete change of paradigm. For the first time ever, Mexico has acknowledged that it does not have the resources to combat drug trafficking on its own and that it requires the assistance of the United States to do so. Essentially an international phenomenon, drug trafficking can only be combated through cooperation and the pooling of resources. In this context, relations with Central American nations and Colombia take on even greater importance and will inevitably revolve around defense and security issues, given that these countries share borders and face common threats like drug trafficking and gang warfare. The disadvantage at which those fighting organized crime find themselves at and the permeability of international borders make cooperation even more crucial, concludes the author.