The A Word

David Sirota / Truthdig Mar 6, 2009 Recently, I've been groping for the precise word to characterize the zeitgeist of this (unfortunately) historic moment -- a word I finally found during a visit last week to central Mexico. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Mexico Militarizes Border Town

Staff / Truthdig Mar 4, 2009 The confrontation between the Mexican state and violent drug gangs is escalating, with the Mexican government moving to stomp out the bloody drug-related conflict in the border town of Ciudad Juarez. The first of some 7,000 troops have moved in to try to take control of the city. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Mexican Drug Lords Depend on Gun-Crazy America

Staff / Truthdig Feb 26, 2009 More than 6,000 people died in Mexico's drug war last year, far too many as a result of US-purchased firepower Though Mexico has strict gun laws, smugglers have no trouble legally purchasing military-grade weapons, such as AK-47 rifles, in the U, and then shipping them south of the border, where they are used with devastating effect. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Modern Times

Angel Boligan, Cagle Cartoons, El Universal, Mexico City Feb 18, 2009 Dig deeper

Mexican Drug Wars Claim 5,000 Lives in 2008

Staff / Truthdig Dec 5, 2008 It's been a creeping tragedy that has escaped serious attention by many major media outlets, but the recurring waves of drug violence in Mexico have taken the lives of about 5,000 people in 2008. In response, the Mexican government has deployed more than 40,000 troops, though corruption within the state's security forces remains a grave problem. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.S. Puts Fresh Cash Into the Drug War

Staff / Truthdig Dec 4, 2008 While the rest of the world has been preoccupied with a financial meltdown, a handful of wars and a terrorist attack or two, Mexico has been waging war on its homegrown drug industry, and the death count is mounting. U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza announced that El Norte is sending a couple hundred million down south to aid the cause. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Last Poll

Angel Boligan, Cagle Cartoons, El Universal, Mexico City Nov 3, 2008 Dig deeper

Cuban Windfall: Billions of Barrels of Black Gold

Staff / Truthdig Oct 20, 2008 Cuba may have just hit the oil jackpot, with a revised estimate of its reserves doubling. That means the small island nation has about as much oil as the United States. American conservatives may soon have to choose between their love of oil and the half-century-old embargo that would keep Cuba's petroleum away. How do you say "drill, baby, drill" en Español? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The U.S. Role in Mexico’s Drug War

Staff / Truthdig Jul 30, 2008 Washington's role in Mexico's drug war, from the $400 million in annual military aid to the U.S. security contractors teaching torture techniques to Mexican police, is often ill-reported in the mainstream media. Canadian journalist Avi Lewis and the "Inside USA" television crew look critically into the conflict that has killed 1,800 people so far this year alone. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

World Court Fights U.S. Executions

Staff / Truthdig Jul 16, 2008 The International Court of Justice on Friday requested the US not execute five death-row inmates in a decision that will put both the U's controversial capital punishment policy and its historic rejection of international legal bodies in the global spotlight. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

¿Zapping Zapata?

Staff / Truthdig Apr 9, 2008 Mexican President Felipe Calderon released his plans Wednesday to give greater autonomy to the country's nationalized oil monopoly PEMEX, a move criticized as privatizing the industry that constitutes 40 percent of federal income. With domestic oil production falling for the past six years, Calderon has had to negotiate his pro-business politics amid steadfast public opinion against denationalization. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

An Absolut Controversy

Staff / Truthdig Apr 5, 2008 The Swedish vodka company known for its memorable advertising has stirred a bit of controversy in the United States with an ad running in Mexico that shows what the two countries would look like "in an Absolut world." Updated Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )