Back in 2006, President Felipe Caldoran declared war on Mexico’s drug cartels and soon after, drug-related activity in a few Mexican states escalated to a war across the entire republic. In just five years, forty-five thousand Mexicans disappeared, died, or fell victim to mass executions all related to the drug trade.
But since President Enrique Peña Nieto took power in December, Mexico’s agenda has shifted from fighting the drug wars to modernizing the economy.
And President Obama’s administration has made it clear that, today, during his visit to Mexico, he’ll also be focusing on trade – as well as immigration – rather than on drug cartels.
Monica Ortiz, senior field correspondent for Fronteras, has been talking with business people and citizens in Mexico about the shift in the national agenda, and how they feel about it.
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