Sylvia Longmire's Blog: Mexico's Drug War, page 11

On Being a Drug War Analyst: The View from 30,000 Feet

Most of my regular readers know my professional background, and why I write about the drug war in Mexico the way that I do. But for those of you who would like to know more about how I reach my conclusions, I want to use this post to talk a bit about intelligence analysis and the process I used to write Cartel.

For eight years, I was a Special Agent for the Air Force. I worked criminal investigations, counterintelligence, and counterespionage operations for most of that time. But during the...

On Being an Expert Witness When Mexicans Request Asylum

People who follow my writing generally don't know that one of the biggest parts of my consulting business is providing expert witness testimony in US asylum cases where the applicants are Mexican nationals. There has been an increase in both the number of asylum applicants from Mexico, as well as media coverage of the rare cases where they're actually granted. According to the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration
Review, in FY 2010 it received 3,231 asylum requests...

PODCAST: Interview with Nick Valencia, CNN Spanish Desk Editor

This is the second edition in my new series of podcasts with prominent people who follow Mexico's drug war, and I'm very excited to present my chat with CNN's Nick Valencia! We had a fascinating conversation this evening, talking about some of Nick's war stories as a young journalist in Mexico, the challenges of finding good news sources, the threat posed to journalists who cover these stories, and the rise of social media as a way to get real uncensored news out of the country.

To listen...

Interview on MSNBC with Jose Diaz-Balart

This morning, I was interviewed live on MSNBC by Jose Diaz-Balart! We talked about kidnapping being the second-largest source of income for the TCOs, as well as the recruitment by TCOs of young women to act as assassins. If you'd like to see the interview, just click on the video below!

 

Live interview on MSNBC tomorrow (6/21)!

Just wanted to let you all know I'm being interviewed live by MSNBC for their mid-day news program tomorrow (6/21) at 12:30pm EST! We'll be talking about the TCO's recruitment of female teenagers as assassins, and also talking a bit about "Cartel." Check it out if you can!

"Legalizing Marijuana Won't Kill the Mexican Drug Cartels."

I am very proud to share with you an excerpt from my first opinion piece for the New York Times!

"FOR a growing number of American policy makers, politicians and activists, the best answer to the spiraling violence in Mexico is to legalize the marijuana that, they argue, fuels the country's vicious cartels and smugglers. After all, according to official estimates, marijuana constitutes 60 percent of cartels' drug profits. Legalization would move that trade into the open market, driving down...

Conflicting accounts about Heriberto "El Lazca" Lazcano's death

I spent a few hours last night following the minute-by-minute updates on Twitter, as well as speaking to my own sources in the media and on the ground in Mexico. Here's what I know.

 

The Monitor out of McAllen was the first US news outlet to report that Heriberto "El Lazca" Lazcano Lazcano, head of Los Zetas, had been killed in a shootout between Los Zetas and the Gulf cartel in Matamoros. The reporter claimed to have a solid source on the ground, and based all the reporting on what this...

Understanding the Recent Congressional Report on Firearms Trafficking to Mexico

A few days ago, a sure-to-be controversial report was released, titled "Halting U.S. Firearms Trafficking to Mexico." It was sponsored and put together by three US senators - Dianne Feinstein, Charles Schumer, and Sheldon Whitehouse - for the US Senate Caucus on International Narcotics control.

Feel free to read the entire report HERE. What I'm hoping to do with this blog post is to summarize the key points, and try to suss some meaning out of all the statistics and recommendations:

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Contests starting for "Cartel"-themed prizes!

I've recently gotten in a bunch of promotional items for Cartel...which means it's time to start giving them away! Over the next couple of months before Cartel hits the shelves, I'll be holding a contest or some sort of competition roughly every other week on the book's Facebook Fan Page. If you haven't already, come on over and click *Like*! Then you'll stay up-to-date with any contests, promotions, or giveaways for the book. You'll also see when I add any book tour dates, as well as any...

Why US Drug Policy Won't Change After 40 Years of Failure

Last week marked the 40th anniversary of the start of our "War on Drugs," which was initiated by former President Richard Nixon in 1971. That was a crazy time in US history; the end of our involvement in Vietnam, the whirlwind of a counterculture of music and drugs, and the beginning of a shift in our way of thinking and living as Americans. Nixon saw the increase in the widespread use of drugs, and decided it was a bad thing for America.

Unfortunately, 40 years and many policies later...