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From Executive Producer Isaac this is Tangle.
Isaac Saul
Good morning, good afternoon and Good evening and welcome to the Tangle Podcast, the place where you get views from across the political spectrum, some independent thinking and a little bit of our take. I'm your host for TODAY managing editor, Ari Weitzman. And our topic today is the violence in Jalisco State in Mexico following the killing by Mexican authorities of a cartel leader. We're going to get into that in just a second, featuring a take from our senior editor, Will K. Back, who is traveling. But first, just wanted to give you the update that tonight is Donald Trump's first State of the Union of his second term and we're going to be covering it live. So if you aren't already a follower on our social media channels, take the opportunity to rectify that error. Now. You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook X or Blue sky, or if you're not a social media person, you can always sign up for text messages from us directly to you anytime that there are news events, including the State of the Union. Tonight, you can sign up for text Messages by texting Tangle to 850-338-9163. Again, that is Tangle. You text that to 850-338-9163 and you get updates from us whenever there are breaking news events and team events and more. All of that's customizable. You can join to find out more. But that brings us today's main topic, which is the cartel violence in Jalisco. I'm going to pass it over to John for that and I'll be right back to give you Will's take and then the reader question and the rest of the pod.
John Wall
Thanks, Ari, and welcome, everybody. Here are your quick hits for today. First up, the European Parliament paused the ratification process for its trade deal with the United States, citing uncertainty about the future of President Donald Trump's tariffs. Separately, FedEx sued the US government, seeking a full refund for duties it paid on tariffs that the Supreme Court struck down on Friday. Number two, U.S. southern Command said that the military carried out a strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea, killing three men. Number three, a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement lawyer told a congressional forum that the agency's process for training new officers is deficient, defective and broken, claiming it had cut significant portions of its training program to expedite officers graduation. Number four, Multiple outlets reported that leaders in the Defense Department, in particular Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Kaine, have warned President Trump of significant risks of a military campaign against Iran. Trump refuted that US Military leaders oppose a potential war. And number five, British police arrested Peter Mandelson, the former UK Ambassador to the US on suspicion of misconduct in public office in connection with his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson was fired from his position in September after new details about his ties to Epstein were released.
Isaac Saul
Foreign.
John Wall
Chaos erupting at a Mexico airport after the death of El Mencho, one of the country's most powerful cartel leaders.
Ari Weitzman
The most important thing at this moment is to guarantee peace and safety of
John Wall
all the population, the Mexican army says. The 59 year old was captured on Sunday in the state of Jalisco and died while on an airlift to Mexico City. Cartel members responded with arson attacks, prompting the State Department to issue a shelter in place warning for Americans in Puerto Vallarta and the surrounding area. On Sunday, Mexican security forces killed cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, and multiple others in a military operation assisted by US Intelligence in Tapalpa, Jalisco in western Mexico. Oseguero was wounded in a violent clash with Mexican special forces and died while being flown to Mexico City. In response to the killing, shootouts, explosions and over 250 vehicle blockades and arson attacks spread across Jalisco as well as the nearby states of Michoacan, Guanajuato, Colima and Tamaulipas. Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro declared a code red state of emergency in the state. Additionally, the US Embassy in Mexico issued a shelter in place warning to US Citizens in the region and multiple airlines canceled flights into and out of nearby airports. Mexican Authorities confirmed that 25 members of the country's National Guard were killed in six separate attacks in Jalisco. In another part of the state, a high ranking cartel member was offering $1,000 for every soldier killed, according to Mexican Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla. The government said the situation had stabilized by Monday morning, by which point more than 70 people had died in the violence. Oceguerra, 59, was the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, co founding the cartel in 2009 and building it from a local criminal group into what the Drug Enforcement Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation consider Mexico's largest trafficking organization and one of its most violent. CJNG has a presence across nearly all 50 US states and is responsible for significant quantities of cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine entering the country. The cartel is also known for its brazen violence against the Mexican government. In 2020, CJNG attempted to assassinate security officials with grenades and high powered rifles in Mexico City. The US had offered a $15 million reward for El Mencho's capture. In January 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order designating drug cartels as terrorist organizations. In August, the New York Times reported that Trump secretly signed a directive to the Pentagon to begin targeting Latin American drug cartels. Last month, the US Established a counter cartel task force that works with the Mexican military and reportedly shared intelligence for the El Mento operation. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has rejected U.S. offers for increased military assistance in combating the cartels, saying that Mexico is open to intelligence sharing but will handle its own domestic operations. Today, we'll cover what the left, right and Mexican writers are saying about the military operation, El Mencho's death and the cartel response. And then senior editor Will Kbach will give his take
Isaac Saul
Foreign.
John Wall
We'll be right back after this quick break.
Ari Weitzman
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All right, first up, let's start with what the left is saying. The left is mixed on the operation, with some arguing the US Is continuing to push for a failed policy. Others praise Sheinbaum for her decisive action. In Jacobin, Benjamin Fogel wrote, another kingpin falls. Nothing changes. For nearly 50 years, the United States has pursued a strategy of taking out the leaders of major drug trafficking organizations as the centerpiece of its drug wars. El Mencho joins the litany of past slain iconic designated drug villains deemed as the most violent and dangerous traffickers of their in the never ending war on Drugs, Vogel said. Nobody can seriously claim that any of these deaths or arrests has made Mexico a less violent country or seriously reduced the overall power of organized crime, let alone hindered the flow of drugs to the United States and the rest of the world. Since Richard Nixon first declared a war on drugs in 1971, in large part to justify a crackdown on the New Left, there are now more drugs on the market than ever before, and they have never been easier to get a hold of. If anything, the price has been dropping from South Africa to Europe. As a thought experiment, it's worth asking at this point if actually winning the war on drugs is the goal, if the agencies waging it are dependent on the threat posed by narco trafficking for continued budgets in the tens of billions, vogel wrote. Regardless of what happens following Mincho's death, the fall of another kingpin will do little to stem the power of organized crime and the interests that benefit from disorder, including those currently in the White House. In Bloomberg, Juan Pablo Spineto said Sheinbaum kills a drug lord and crosses her Rubicon every time a major cartel loses its boss. The spasm of revenge against a government is followed by bloody internal struggles as major players and their factions move to fill the vacuum, spineto wrote. Yet as it raises the prospect of sustained violence and cartel infighting in parts of Mexico as seen in Sinaloa after the removal of Ismael Mayo Zambara in 2024, Sheinbaum's bold move deserves support and recognition. The Mexican military operation backed by US intelligence cements a major turning point in the country's security strategy since Sheinbaum took office nearly 17 months ago. The so called kingpin strategy aimed at decapitating drug lords rarely prevents the rise of a new capo, even if it triggers violent unrest. Like nature, multibillion dollar criminal cartels abhor a vacuum, but the Mexican state needed to show that it has the resolve to regain control of parts of the country that criminal networks have terror terrorized for far too long, Spineto said. The operation is also a win for Sheinbaum in other respects. It shows that bilateral security cooperation with the US can pay off and that she is serious about fighting organized crime. That will win her credit with the Trump administration that has been rough in its treatment of the US's main trading partner. Alright, that is it for what the left is saying, which brings us to what the right is saying. The right supports the operation and calls on Mexico to continue its campaign against cartel leaders. Some say the US and Mexico should deepen their partnership in this effort. The Wall Street Journal editorial board asked, will President Sheinbaum keep going? Sheinbaum's predecessor and mentor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador from 2018 to 2024 followed a hugs, not gunshots appeasement policy toward the cartels that was a disaster. Organized crime now controls wide swaths of Mexico, producing and trafficking drugs, kidnapping for ransom, and running shakedown rackets, the board wrote. Ms. Sheinbaum took an early step toward confronting the cartels by appointing former Mexico City supercop Omar Garcia Harfuch as her secretary of security and citizen protection. On Sunday, she showed new seriousness by going after the leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation cartel. Most Mexicans, apart from many in Ms. Sheinbaum's Morena party, welcome U.S. assistance. Their country has become lawless in many places and they want relief, the board said. Mr. Trump can also help by telling Americans to stop feeding the cartels by using drugs, and he can roll up networks in the us. Mexico can expect more violence if it continues to press its cartel campaigns, but that is one price of letting the drug lords gain so much power. In the Washington Examiner, Connor Pfeiffer explored Trump's opportunity in Mexico. This operation is a massive victory for Mexico and the United States and demonstrates that President Donald Trump's pressure on Mexico to increase security cooperation is working. Now is the time to double down on these gains and make lasting progress against narco terrorist groups that terrorize both countries, pfeiffer wrote. But taking down kingpins alone is not enough. Mexico has killed or captured a string of cartel leaders in the past 20 years, yet criminal groups continue to strengthen their hold over large swaths of Mexico to make lasting gains against transnational organized crime, Mexico must work with the US to degrade cartel leadership and networks, remove corrupt politicians who do their bidding, and improve Mexico's legal system, pfeiffer said. With the ongoing civil war between factions of the Sinaloa cartel, there is a rare window of opportunity where Mexico's most powerful cartels are weakened. At the same time, this provides a chance for Mexican forces, supported by US intelligence and other forms of assistance, to dismantle the networks that will attempt to perpetuate El Mencho's reign of terror or seek advantage from other criminal groups. Alright, that is it for what the left and right are saying. Which brings us to what Mexican writers are saying. Mexican writers are relieved at El Mencho's death, but some argue subsequent actions must target CJNG's finances. Others say Mexico should work with the US to continue forcefully confronting the cartels in expansion. Politica Alberto Guerrero Ballena said killing a kingpin does not kill his structure. El Mencho's death closes one chapter but opens another that Mexico cannot read with naivety or premature euphoria. The history of Mexican organized crime teaches a brutal and recurring killing. A kingpin does not kill his organization by an arrogant When a leader of this magnitude dies, the power vacuum doesn't remain empty for long. The internal factions of the CJNG already have their own operatives with names, territories and loyalties. The internal succession can take two equally dangerous an orderly transition under a new consolidated leadership or a fratricidal war that bleeds the territories under its former influence dry. The Mexican government, in collaboration with the Financial Intelligence Unit, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, and international agencies such as FinCEN in the United States and Europol must immediately activate a protocol for tracing the assets of the cjng, Baena said. Identifying, freezing and seizing the assets front companies, properties, accounts, agricultural investments and transportation franchises that sustain the cartel's daily operations is more effective than pursuing individual leaders. Without a flow of money, the organization collapses. In Excelsior, Pascal Beltrandel Rio wrote about the end of hugs. The events in Taupalpa demonstrate that criminals must be confronted with the same firepower and determination they have amassed. Peace is not negotiated with those who use car bombs, anti personnel mines and armed drones against the population, but rather imposed through the legitimate force of the state, del Rio said. However, the leader's death is not the end of the problem. Now that El Mencho is gone, the government has an urgent obligation to continue fighting the organization with the same intensity to prevent it from regrouping under a new leader or fragmenting into even more violent cells. It is positive that there is a close coordination with US Agencies. Drug trafficking is by definition a transnational crime that knows no borders and requires a joint operational strategy with our neighbor to the north, implemented without false notions of sovereignty, Shared intelligence and binational pressure are indispensable tools for dismantling the finances and routes of a monster that speaks both languages, del Rio wrote. Mexico took a firm step on Sunday. Let us hope that this is the beginning of an era in which the law is applied firmly and in which the state finally recovers its monopoly on the use of force. Alright, let's head over to Ari for Will's Take.
Isaac Saul
Foreign. That's it for what the left, right and Mexican writers are saying. Which brings us to My take. Today's My Take was written by Tango senior editor Will K. Back, who is experiencing travel delays as he's making his way back home. Will writes, cartels have long occupied a mythological status in US pop culture, sitting alongside the Italian mafia and Japanese Yakuza as real life crime syndicates that animated the American imagination. But they always seem a safe distance away, existing to most people only through television shows, films and music. Days like Sunday serve as a reminder that cartel violence is more than just a plot line or catchy lyric. Some of this violent wave has lapped upon the shores of American life the military helicopters circling above vacationers in Puerto Vallarta or the terrified families sheltering in place from gunfire in Guadalajara International Airport. But much of the destruction has hit innocent Mexicans the smoke of burning vehicles billowing from highways, shattered windows of brightly colored businesses and charred remnants of convenience stores. For me, and I expect many others in the U.S. these scenes bring the reality of Mexico's fight against cartels into focus. El Mencho's killing is a significant escalation in Mexico's anti cartel operations, the logical next step in President Claudia Sheinbaum's efforts to both assert governmental control and and satisfy the Trump administration's demands. After Sheinbaum's first year in office, Mexican authorities destroyed roughly 1600 drug labs and arrested approximately 35,000 people for what they call high impact crimes. Comparatively, former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who took a hugs, not gunfire approach to cartels, averaged 380 destroyed labs and 8,900 high impact arrests annually. Throughout his term, Sheinbaum has also begun cleaning house at all levels of government, targeting corrupt elected officials accused of working with cartels at the municipal level. It's a just crusade that requires a great deal of political and personal bravery, and it's good news he's getting support from the United States president. These actions have sent a strong signal that the Sheinbaum administration is aggressively confronting the cartel's influence. But the El Mencho operation takes this initiative a step further. Before her election, Sheinbaum campaigned on continuing AMLO's strategy of fighting cartels by trying to address the root social causes of cartel crime. She also came into office poised to continue avoiding the kingpin strategy of arresting cartel leaders, which Mexican officials believed would only cause more violence. The change in philosophy and the change in tactics palpably show President Trump's influence in Mexico. Combating cartels has been a Day one priority for the second Trump administration, which has stepped up its pressure in recent weeks. It was easy to miss amid the seismic foreign policy news of the past two months, but Trump spent the back half of January issuing explicit warnings about US Military involvement if Mexico rebuffed his request for joint operations against cartels in their fentanyl production labs. Also easy to miss was Mexico's apparent acquiescence. On January 15, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Mexican Foreign Secretary Juan Ramon de la Fuente issued a joint statement highlighting the need for tangible actions to strengthen security, cooperation and meaningful outcomes to counter cartels. This pressure almost certainly played a role in Sheinbaum's decision to pursue El Mancho. Rather than risk a sovereignty crisis or worse, a hot war. If the US Acted unilaterally, she showed that the Mexican military was capable of taking down even the most notorious drug lord in the country. On one hand, this result vindicates Trump's strategy. His pressure led to action that eliminated a destructive person, all without direct US Involvement. This is the exact kind of flashy and efficient operation against the high value target that the Trump administration has prioritized in other areas of foreign policy so far. On the other hand, the immediate success could backfire in the long run and prove exactly why Mexico has been avoiding the kingpin strategy until now. The violence that broke out in response to Oseguera's death is likely the tip of the iceberg. When the United States arrested Sinaloa cartel leader Ismail Al mayo Zambada in 2024, it hailed the operation as a victory in its fight against fentanyl trafficking. But modern cartels, like terrorist groups, aren't dependent on a single leader to function. Rather, as Almayo's case illustrates, removing the leader often creates a power vacuum that gives way to heightened violence. Criminal activities may be temporarily affected, but with hundreds of other leaders within the cartel and tens of thousands of contractors, the operation marches on. One year after Almayo's arrest, the Sinaloa cartel still ranks among the most powerful drug traffickers in the world, and violence in Sinaloa is as bad as it's ever been. The post El Mencho CGNJ will probably follow a similar path. While the government seems to have gotten the immediate disorder under control, long term ramifications will reveal themselves in the weeks and months ahead. Of course, that violent backlash doesn't prove that Trump or Sheinbaum should just accept the inevitability of the cartel's power or embrace Lopez's strategy of pacification. On the contrary, a focus on Mexican cartels is a direct response to the source of the fentanyl that fueled the drug overdose epidemic in the United States. Anyone who has criticized Trump's actions against Venezuela as a poor response to our domestic drug issues, as we have repeatedly, should be glad to see his eye on the ball now. But I worry that he will take the wrong lesson from the El Mancho operation, namely that the US can keep pressuring Mexico into flashy headline wins that incur losses only Mexico feels. And he may not actually curtail drug trafficking with this approach. I worry that the pressure on Sheinbaum will continue with countless cartel leaders and operations remaining. Why stop at El Mencho? And why do I worry? Because Mexico is not Venezuela and it's not Iran, Hamas or Russia. They're a partner and an ally. President Sheinbaum maintains a powerful standing in Mexico's government, has proven effective at countering the cartels, and welcomes U.S. assistance to the fight so long as we respect their sovereignty. Pursuing a path of coercion rooted in credible threats of unwanted military intervention not only risks that mutually beneficial relationship, it risks forcing Sheinbaum to substitute effective strategy for political self preservation. If Sheinbaum wants to keep the US military at bay, she knows that she must continue going after cartel leaders regardless of whether doing so will have a meaningful impact on drug trafficking and regardless of the downstream violence doing so would cause. But if an alternate approach is better than the kingpin strategy the Trump administration is pushing for, what would this other path look like? Vonda Philba Brown at the Brookings Institution has some of the best ideas I've come across. Embedding US Law enforcement agents with Mexican units, reviving joint intelligence centers, continuing to identify and expel cartel aligned politicians, and helping develop new Mexican federal police units. Writers like Alberto Guerrero Baena under what Mexican Writers are Saying, also outlined how international collaboration can effectively limit CGNJ's access to financial resources. Crucially, I think Mexico would be amenable to most, if not all, of these proposals. In this fraught moment, as an El Mencho sized power vacuum threatens to consume large swaths of the country, such a partnership presents a potent opportunity to take advantage of a destabilized cartel. If nothing else, Mexico should remain committed to direct confrontation of the cartels. They are the poisonous underbelly of a country otherwise defined by its rich culture, natural beauty and vibrant people. For too long, these criminal organizations have held it back. Trump deserves credit for pushing them toward dealing with the problem with the resources it requires, instead of more half measures. But if that push doesn't bring positive results, then he will deserve the blame too.
John Wall
We'll be right back after this quick break.
Ari Weitzman
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That's it for Will's take today, which brings us to your questions Answered Today's question comes from Tracy in Brighton, Michigan. Tracy asks, I have seen conflicting reports about what the SAVE act would mean for voters, especially married women who have changed their last names. Some sources say a real ID will act as proof of citizenship. Others say a passport will be required. What is the truth here? Also, will existing voter registrations be purged, requiring everyone to submit new documentation? I'm very confused and concerned about how disenfranchising this bill actually is. In April last year, the House of Representatives passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility act, or SAVE Act, a bill requiring proof of citizenship for voters to register for federal elections. Although that bill passed the House mostly Republican support, it died in the Senate. Any bill requires 60 votes in the Senate to pass the filibuster threshold, and Democrats uniformly opposed the act. This year, a new version of the bill called the Save America act again passed the House, but now faces the same challenges in the Senate. We cover the SAVE act in an in depth Friday edition, which we made available to all readers last year. Much of what we wrote about the SAVE act applies to the Save America act, but let's answer your questions directly. If passed, the Save America act would require any first time voter or registered voter who is changing their status to re register in person with documents that the bill specifies as sufficient to prove citizenship. That means one of the a passport, a military identification card, or a photo id, paired with another form of government id, such as a birth certificate, similar to the documents required when filing an i9 at a place of employment. Among other reforms, the bill would impose new proof of citizenship requirements on anyone who is registering to vote for the first time. It would also require any voter who is moving, changing their name, or otherwise updating their voting status to physically go to their local government with documentation to prove their citizenship today. This can all be done through the mail. The largest impacted group would be people with changed names, and the largest subgroup of those people is married women who have taken a new name when re registering. Any voter whose name, as it appears on their proof of citizenship ID does not match their name in the voter roll or whose name on their birth certificate does not match the name on another government ID will have to present additional documentation, such as a marriage license, in order to prove their citizenship. However, no action is required of registered voters who have already changed their names and are not making a change to their voting information. That means the roughly 69 million married women who have changed their surnames, as well as the likely hundreds of thousands of transgender citizens and others with changed biographical data will not have to do anything if they are already registered to vote. All right, that's it for the reader question. I'm going to send it back over to John for the rest of the pod and I'll see you at the end.
John Wall
Thanks Ari. Here's your under the radar story for today folks. On Tuesday, February 17, the Department of Housing and Urban Development processed a new rule that would bar immigrants in the United States illegally from living in federally subsidized properties. The rule seeks to address mixed status households in which some occupants are U.S. citizens or legal residents, but others are not. If enacted, the rule would require every resident of a public housing residence to provide proof of citizenship or legal status regardless of age. We have zero tolerance for pushing aside hardworking US Citizens while enabling others to exploit decades old loopholes, hud Secretary Scott Turner said. Some housing advocates have come out against the rule saying it would lead to over 100,000 people, including thousands of children, being evicted. The Hill has this story and there's a link in today's episode Description and last but not least, our have a nice day story. On Thursday morning, fire and rescue teams responded to a 911 call in Lawrence County, Tennessee on emergency responders were able to successfully put out the fire which burned the residence of a disabled 72 year old woman. The woman suffered burns but was able to escape the blaze thanks to the decisive actions of her granddaughter. Our 12 year old daughter became a hero that day. When the fire broke out, she bravely pulled her grandmother out of the house and saved her life. Because of her quick thinking and courage. We still have our mom grandmother with us today. The family posted in a GoFundMe update. We are beyond grateful and so proud of her strength. The Lawrence County Advocate has this story and there's a link in today's episode description.
Isaac Saul
That is it for today's episode. As always, if you'd like to support our work, you can head over to readtangle.com and sign up for a membership. Remember, if you are interested in hearing updates from us about the State of the Union tonight and other newsworthy events as they happen, you can always subscribe to our messaging service to hear more breaking news and other information from us. You do that by Texting tangle to 850-338-9163. That's tangle to 850-338- 9163. Either way, we will be covering the State of the Union address tomorrow. Until then, take care. Peace.
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Date: February 24, 2026
Host: Ari Weitzman (Managing Editor), with contributions from John Wall, Isaac Saul (Executive Producer), and Senior Editor Will Kbach
Theme: An in-depth, non-partisan analysis of the recent explosion of cartel violence in Jalisco, Mexico, following the death of El Mencho, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The episode collects perspectives from the political left and right in the US, as well as from Mexican writers, and features a detailed editorial analysis of the policy and security implications.
This episode focuses on the spike in violence that erupted after Mexican military forces, assisted by US intelligence, killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes ("El Mencho"), leader of the CJNG cartel. The Tangle team dissects the event's repercussions, the underlying policies of both the Mexican and US governments, and presents viewpoints from across the political spectrum and from within Mexico.
[05:47 – 09:06]
Notable Quote:
“The most important thing at this moment is to guarantee peace and safety of all the population,” — John Wall quoting the Mexican army [05:57]
[10:28 – 13:44]
Quote:
“Another kingpin falls. Nothing changes... Nobody can seriously claim that any of these deaths or arrests has made Mexico a less violent country or seriously reduced the overall power of organized crime.” — Benjamin Fogel, Jacobin [11:00]
Quote:
“Like nature, multibillion dollar criminal cartels abhor a vacuum, but the Mexican state needed to show that it has the resolve to regain control of parts of the country that criminal networks have terrorized for far too long.” — Juan Pablo Spineto, Bloomberg [12:45]
[13:44 – 15:40]
Quote:
“Mexico can expect more violence if it continues to press its cartel campaigns, but that is one price of letting the drug lords gain so much power.” — Wall Street Journal Editorial Board [14:40]
Quote:
“To make lasting gains against transnational organized crime, Mexico must work with the US to degrade cartel leadership and networks, remove corrupt politicians who do their bidding, and improve Mexico's legal system.” — Connor Pfeiffer, Washington Examiner [15:25]
[15:40 – 18:50]
Quote:
“Killing a kingpin does not kill his structure. El Mencho's death closes one chapter but opens another... Identifying, freezing, and seizing the assets... is more effective than pursuing individual leaders.” — Alberto Guerrero Ballena, Politica Expansion [16:25]
Quote:
“Peace is not negotiated with those who use car bombs, anti-personnel mines and armed drones... Mexico took a firm step on Sunday. Let us hope that this is the beginning of an era in which the law is applied firmly and in which the state finally recovers its monopoly on the use of force.” — Pascal Beltrandel Rio, Excelsior [17:35]
[18:54 – 28:42]
Memorable Moment:
“I worry that the US can keep pressuring Mexico into flashy headline wins that incur losses only Mexico feels. And he may not actually curtail drug trafficking with this approach.” — Will Kbach [25:00]
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