4 ms·

> This is a reaction to an overwhelming force of criminal gangs killing citizens and the government being powerless to stop them. Is the Mexican government, wi

> This is a reaction to an overwhelming force of criminal gangs killing citizens and the government being powerless to stop them. Is the Mexican government, with their tens of billions in military spending, actually "powerless" to stop these gangs? I very much doubt it.

esseph 2mo ago
> Is the Mexican government, with their tens of billions in military spending, actually "powerless" to stop these gangs? I very much doubt it. Then to be blunt, you don't know how a fucking thing. The cartels have their own intelligent networks, anti-air missiles, RPGs and anti-tank weapons, encrypted radio comms and their own 5G/LTE networks. They have helicopters, armored vehicles, etc. In many cases they have the support* of the people. * through fear, intimidation, coercion, social bonds, financial motivators, etc. The cartels also have tens of billions.
- autoexec 2mo ago
  If the cartels had more military fighting power and training than the entire Mexican army, air force, and navy the entire country would have been overthrown by now. If Mexico's entire armed forces really are outgunned and outclassed then I guess the cartels should have it. They might as well take Canada too since their military is roughly as powerful as Mexico's and there's a long list of countries with far less military spending then Mexico they could consider invading since they are so unstoppable.
  - redwood 2mo ago
    The strength of a military or militant organization is not a binary concept. It is context dependent.. a remote mountain area is the kind of place that the military you describe simply is spread too thin to have much coverage of. Sure they could go beat an insurgent in a single battle but that insurgent will dissolve into the hillsides and re emerge later..
e40 2mo ago
There have been many examples of non-corrupt officials being elected and then killed. The corruption isn't always "I want to get rich" type, sometimes it's "I don't want to be murdered in a horrific way" type.

esseph 2mo ago

> Is the Mexican government, with their tens of billions in military spending, actually "powerless" to stop these gangs? I very much doubt it. Then to be blunt, you don't know how a fucking thing. The cartels have their own intelligent networks, anti-air missiles, RPGs and anti-tank weapons, encrypted radio comms and their own 5G/LTE networks. They have helicopters, armored vehicles, etc. In many cases they have the support* of the people. * through fear, intimidation, coercion, social bonds, financial motivators, etc. The cartels also have tens of billions.

autoexec 2mo ago
If the cartels had more military fighting power and training than the entire Mexican army, air force, and navy the entire country would have been overthrown by now. If Mexico's entire armed forces really are outgunned and outclassed then I guess the cartels should have it. They might as well take Canada too since their military is roughly as powerful as Mexico's and there's a long list of countries with far less military spending then Mexico they could consider invading since they are so unstoppable.
- redwood 2mo ago
  The strength of a military or militant organization is not a binary concept. It is context dependent.. a remote mountain area is the kind of place that the military you describe simply is spread too thin to have much coverage of. Sure they could go beat an insurgent in a single battle but that insurgent will dissolve into the hillsides and re emerge later..

e40 2mo ago

There have been many examples of non-corrupt officials being elected and then killed. The corruption isn't always "I want to get rich" type, sometimes it's "I don't want to be murdered in a horrific way" type.