In September 2010, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton provoked controversy when she compared Mexican narcoviolence to the the situation in Colombia in the 1980s. She said that Mexico's drug cartels represent an insurgency, which comes much closer to defining the violence here as a civil war, incipient or actual.
Clinton's comments got her in a bit of trouble with her boss after president Felipe Calderón strongly objected to the comparison. Barack Obama quickly weighed in on the side of Calderón, mildly repudiating Clinton's statements. So today the secretary was more cautious when she appeared before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
"I've expressed my concern about this (topic) in the past, and we're certainly alert to similarities between the activities of drug cartels and terrorists," responded Clinton to a question from a committee member. "I said last year that there are characteristics similar to that of an insurgency, but I'm very sensitive to the fact that the Mexican government has raised legitimate questions as to whether such a comparison should be made. We're aware that the Mexican government is of the opinion that we shouldn't be mixing apples and oranges, that we should just focus on crime and not try to bring anything else into the equation."
The secretary did a good job of walking the tight rope this time. No complaints so far from Calderón and company.
The threat presented to the United States: http://www.theyucatantimes.com/2011/10/mexico-drug-cartels-present-greater-threat-to-u-s-security-than-iran-says-u-s-state-dept/.
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