I think most of what you just posted has very little to do with what OP posted. Due process, btw, isn't some inherent property of states. Lots of states were w

I think most of what you just posted has very little to do with what OP posted. Due process, btw, isn't some inherent property of states. Lots of states were with pretty capricious forms of justice. I happen to agree with OP that if the state failed, then these gangs would rapidly take their place, but without the trappings of liberalism that are part of modern Mexico's government. However, I also happen to think that it is not analogous to how states form because these gangs rely on the state; they are more like parasites on the body politic. Sometimes parasites kill their hosts though.