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Wilson Spotlight: Mexico's Drug War

July 9, 2011

Andrew Selee is director of the Mexico Institute, having previously served as senior program associate for the Latin American Program. Prior to that, he served as professional staff for the United States House of Representatives. Eric Olson is senior advisor to the Security Initiative of the Mexico Institute. Prior to joining the Wilson Center, he worked with the Organization of American States and also with Amnesty International U.S.A.

When he took office in 2006, Mexican President Calderon made confronting his countries drug cartels one of his highest priorities, and yet violence has escalated in recent years. Last year, nearly 7,000 people were killed in apparent drug-related incidents. So far in 2010, the mayhem continues with more than 2,000 dead, leaving many to wonder whether the situation is hopeless. This week on dialogue, host John Milewski spotlights the Center's Mexico Institute and its security initiative with Andrew Selee and Eric Olson.