This quote exemplifies the dichotomy of the situation in the region; the government aimed to cease violence but instead exacerbated violence in an environment occupied with impunity, corruption, and aggression. Threatened by the increase of aggression on the border, in 2008, the United States launched the Merida Initiative, which provides the Mexican government with US security forces along with high-end military equipment, ranging from helicopters to surveillance technology (Quinones, 2009; 18). However, even with aid provided by the US, the cartels still outgunned the Mexican Army—a response to Calderon’s war with extreme savagery. “The problem isn’t individuals; it’s systematic” (Quinones, 2009; 18). The Mexican government failed in its
