Former Mexican President Vicente Fox says his nation is at "war" with drug cartels, and he offered sharp criticism of the Obama administration for failing to assist its beleaguered neighbor.
In an exclusive interview with Newsmax.TV on Tuesday, Fox said President Barack Obama's administration has failed to grapple with the deteriorating situation in Mexico.
“Obama is thoroughly mixed up with all these things he’s got," Fox said, adding: "He’s got to solve Libya. He’s got to solve Afghanistan. He’s everywhere. And this nation, I don’t know why it’s not showing the leadership and capacity to attend different issues at the same time.”
Asked if Mexico was entangled in a civil war involving the drug cartels, Fox responded: “We’re undergoing a war, no doubt — 35,000, maybe 40,000 people killed, either members of the cartels or members of the police force or members of the army. So yes, we’re undergoing a war, no doubt.
“Everybody’s trying to deny that we’re going through a war, but that’s what it is. That’s why we have to move to a new paradigm."
Recently, Fox has called for legalizing and decriminalizing drugs in the United States to throttle the demand for narcotics, which he argues is the root cause of his country's civil unrest.
"The United States has to think very profoundly how it is going to solve this problem of excess in the consumption of drugs, excess in building a market that is very profitable to the criminals," he said.
He continued: “I think the best move is to take away the business from criminals and put it in the hands of businessmen and producers, farmers, distributors.”
He compared the situation with illegal drugs to Prohibition in the United States, which enriched mobsters who provided alcohol just as the drug trade is now enriching the cartels.
“We are never going to eradicate drugs,” he added. “They will always be there. It is a free choice” to consume them.
Fox, who served as president from 2000 to 2006, also took aim at his successor, Felipe Calderon, who has enlisted the army in the fight against drug traffickers in Mexico.
“And this decision that President Calderon took, to bring in the army in trying to control drug trafficking cartels, I don’t think is the right measure. It has created violations to human rights and additional problems," he said.
“I think there are much better alternatives than that one. The army should go back to their assigned duties, and police should take the responsibility of fighting the cartels."
Fox was also critical of both the wall at the U.S.-Mexico border and the Arizona law aimed at curtailing illegal immigration.
He stressed that he is “absolutely not” calling for an open border, but rather for the “wisdom and leadership" of this nation.
“There is [an immigration reform] bill in Congress, prepared by Senator Kennedy, Senator McCain, a bipartisan initiative, and it’s been sitting there for years, seven years, eight years. I discussed with President Bush a strategy for an integrated immigration reform. And it’s been sitting there without any solution.
“So if Arizona sees the federal government isn’t assuming its responsibilities, it creates local laws. But migration and keeping security on the borders is not a local or state issue, it’s a federal issue."
As for Obama's role in immigration reform, Fox said he “has not attended to it. It was a campaign promise he’s not even trying to do it.”
Fox is visiting the United States as part of an effort to promote the construction of the Vicente Fox Center of Studies, Library and Museum near his ranch in Guanajuato, Mexico, which he says is the world’s first presidential library outside the United States.
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09:53 AM
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Scottzilla79 Member
Posts: 2573 From: Chicago, IL Registered: Oct 2009
I don't like his idea of solving Mexico's problems by legalizing drugs in America.
Also, his criticism of President Obama is too general to really mean anything. What were his specific expectations? In other words, what was President Obama supposed to do?
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12:09 PM
Scottzilla79 Member
Posts: 2573 From: Chicago, IL Registered: Oct 2009
I live about 90 miles north of the Mexican Border and will NOT venture into their Country due to the simple fact that if you do ANYTHING wrong you will, at the very least, be financially drained of any monies you may have available to you, and anyone that you are travelling with, and more often than not you will end up in jail. Get caught with ONE bullet - and NO gun? ONE YEAR mandatory in one of their lovely prisons! Pot or Coke possession? Forget about going home anytime soon, many years in a Mexican prison await you - and you will be there until your family can gather an exhorbatant amount of money to <strike>buy your way out</strike> get you out. If you don't normally carry bullets, pot or coke in your car, don't worry, the nice 'Federallies' down there will plant some on you - no extra charge amigo!
For former Mexican President Vicente Fox to say that the U.S. should LEGALIZE drugs in the U.S. is only being done because he is beholden to the Mexican drug cartels - and is trying to help further legitimize their trade of choice.
Vicente Fox, sit down and shut up. Until your people can remedy your own gross lawlessness, poverty and corruption that have become the hallmarks of your beloved Mexico I, for one, don't want to hear what you have to say about fixing America*.
*Unless you might consider taking 'Obama off our hands as a way of fixing America.
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06:07 PM
dennis_6 Member
Posts: 7196 From: between here and there Registered: Aug 2001
Drugs should be legal for the same reason alcohol is. The prohibition of such is worse than drug. That said, hard drug users should be placed in walled towns and if they live or die its on their hands, maybe give them 3 chances to rehab and stay off drugs or its back to the hell hole for good. Marijuana, Peyote, and such should be treated the was alcohol is. As far as Vincent Fox, he needs to take the blame for this and stop passing the buck. Its his country and everything on that side of the line is his problem, not Obamas. I stand with President Obama on this one, and thats rare.
Fox talking about someone else not showing leadership?? Irony runs deep....he wouldn't know leadership if it bit him on his ass. What a croc of an article.
Still waiting for the Mexican people to rise up and throw all their politicians to the dogs. A nation that old, that big, with all those natural resources, a work ethic that just won't quit---and they're still poor as a beggar's dog. There is just something basically wrong in that nation, and always has been.
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 03-23-2011).]
"He compared the situation with illegal drugs to Prohibition in the United States, which enriched mobsters who provided alcohol just as the drug trade is now enriching the cartels.
“We are never going to eradicate drugs,” he added. “They will always be there. It is a free choice” to consume them."
"The United States has to think very profoundly how it is going to solve this problem of excess in the consumption of drugs, excess in building a market that is very profitable to the criminals," he said.
