Mexico Furious, but U.S. Reaction Is Not Very Fast

From failing to consider the possibility that the Zetas collaborate with al-Qaida, to WikiLeaks and the “Fast and Furious” operation, it is a miracle that Mexican officials continue conversing with the neighbors, but it is all part of the job. Being the United States’ neighbor will never be easy, but there must be a reason millions of Mexicans seek to cross to that country.

Although the comments of Ambassador Carlos Pascual filtered by WikiLeaks offended the sensibilities of President Felipe Calderón, bad boy Pascual did not say something that has not been said before. In fact, many columnists and reporters should demand perks or at least ask that they be cited as the source of the filtered cables. Carlos did not discover something new.

Now emerges the “Fast and Furious” operation

It is not a new thing that the United States uses undercover operations, where criminal activities are permitted or promoted in order to identify, investigate and eventually arrest members of organized crime. These operations can be a very effective tool used to arrest drug bosses, because they supposedly document criminal activities through videos, photographs, voice recordings, etc. All this is used in before a jury in the United States to condemn the criminals.

In order to understand how the United States could arrest 600 Mexicans in one day, just days after they killed an Zapata agent; or as in 2009, two days after four years of investigations, in the operation called Project Coronado, they could arrest 300 supposed members of the Michoacán family; it has to be emphasized that besides requiring an extraordinary coordination among police, local and federal prosecutors to carry out this operation, surely there must have been multiple undercover actions, in which agents bought and sold drugs, obtained weapons… Of course, all these are illegal activities. Since executing this operation, more than 1000 more individuals have been arrested.

Yes, undercover operations can be very effective in combating big criminal organizations. The idea is that the end justifies the means. But when these operations fail, the result can be devastating. There are documented cases, for example, in which United States agents let tons of cocaine into their territory — which arrived to American consumers and addicts — as part of an operation attempting to identify drug traffickers in the United States.

With the exception of people infiltrating a criminal organization, these operations are usually illegal, especially if they require the government’s participation or sponsorship of an illegal activity. Before the outcome of the “Fast and Furious” operation, one understands why it should not be allowed. However, it should be recognized that this would remove the authority of an important tool.

What can the Mexican government do? It can demand to investigate and punish the agents and supervisors involved in the operation. It can ask for extradition of these agents to Mexico so they are judged for the crime of trafficking weapons — probably something the U.S. government will not agree to.

Another alternative would be for Mexico’s government to not only pressure for an investigation in the United States, but also seek to participate in the investigation ordered by Attorney General Eric Holder. More effective would be to initiate civil proceedings, by which the Mexican government or persons that have been victims of these weapons introduced into the country through “Fast and Furious” can demand economic remuneration as a result of this operation.

Surely, a judgment of this nature would take years and would have a significant cost. It would also sever diplomatic relations between the countries until things return to normal after the presidential elections in both nations. A judgment of this nature would continue to put pressure on U.S. agencies so that they consider the political impact on bilateral relations and the pocket of their institutions before authorizing “Fast and Furious”-type operations. Civil lawsuits will make them pay millions in compensation to the victims. Many times the best diplomacy can be defined by the pocket.