By ERIC BAZAIL-EIMIL and JACK DETSCH
According to POLITICO; Mexico’s president says U.S. military strikes against Mexican cartels would be an “invasion” and that it’s “off the table,” but Mexico may not be able to stop the U.S. should it choose to strike the growing criminal groups.
On Friday, The New York Times reported that President DONALD TRUMP directed the U.S. military to target foreign drug cartels and articulated a basis for direct operations against them, making good on a threat he made on the campaign trail.
The U.S. could still go ahead and conduct targeted operations to arrest drug lords or airstrikes on suspected drug labs and cartel leaders even without Mexico’s consent. After all, a lack of permission never stopped the U.S. from carrying out drone strikes in the Middle East throughout the global war on terror or even arresting Mexican cartel leaders on Mexican soil.
And even before the Pentagon directive, the Trump administration had gradually laid the groundwork in other ways for additional efforts against the Mexican cartels. The administration has designated Mexican drug cartels foreign terrorist organizations, preemptively giving itself legal standing for military action.
The administration also has considerable leverage over Mexico, which could get Mexican President CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM — who has so far managed to stay on Trump’s good side — to rethink her current opposition.
Click here to read the complete, original article by ERIC BAZAIL-EIMIL and JACK DETSCH on POLITICO
Source: POLITICO
