Mexico Institute in the News: With a lull in violence, Ciudad Juárez looks for a comeback
Eric Olson provided commentary on this story in a drop in violence in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
Dallas Morning News, 8/19/2012
At first glance, the signs point to the resurrection of Ciudad Juárez: Business establishments, once gutted, are reopening, and border crossers are slowly returning, albeit with timid steps.
Four years after the worst violence in Mexico since the 1910 Revolution broke out across the border from El Paso, Juárez is flush with stories of a comeback. Still, in a region where many say they have long been deceived by the promise of democracy, some buy it more than others.
“It’s very speculative, but there is a thinking that there is a vacuum, a transition period where no one is really in charge,” said Eric Olson, a security expert at the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute. “However, I don’t think they see change at the federal level as important as in the state and local levels. I suspect things have more to do with local dynamics.”
About the Author
Eric L. Olson
Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives, Seattle International Foundation
Mexico Institute
The Mexico Institute seeks to improve understanding, communication, and cooperation between Mexico and the United States by promoting original research, encouraging public discussion, and proposing policy options for enhancing the bilateral relationship. A binational Advisory Board, chaired by Luis Téllez and Earl Anthony Wayne, oversees the work of the Mexico Institute. Read more
