Justice Jettisoned: The Culture of ‘National Security’ in Mexico
Social Sciences
Independent Study for LALS and Senior Thesis
How has the Mexican state response to insecurity and crime affected its democracy? Security governance represents a broad political framework for reorganizing private and public authorities, regulatory agencies, and resources to manage entities, organizations, persons, and processes that are deemed threatening or dangerous. In the context of México’s War on Crime, security governance is implemented at the international and domestic levels and entails: (a) international cooperation with the United States; (b) new legislation and legal tactics; (c) the deployment of the military to conduct policing operations; and (d) police reform. Given México’s persistent problem with rule of law and its record of interagency corruption, none of this bodes well for democracy. Calling attention to how security governance negatively affects democracy in México helps identify the perils associated with México’s quest for security. Thus, this research may enable readers to evaluate whether the security approach justifies the costs as well as its ramifications for democratic consolidation.
