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Column 061112 Brewer

Monday, June 11, 2012

Mexico and its Neighbors up against TerrorismCloaked as Crime

By Jerry Brewer

The expansion of terrorism in Latin America isincreasing, and this must become a matter of utmost --

and immediate -- concern, with strategic initiatives forthis hemisphere. As well, it is time for the U.S. andMexico to stop trying to water down the specter ofterrorism by definition.

It is hoped that previous theories, as to violence andterrorism by transnational organized crime culprits

eing totally separate from each other, will beaggressively attacked for their similarities. Local lawenforcement and police authorities are alreadyconfused as to their roles, understanding and ability to

confront this terroristic-style of criminal insurgenciesand actions.

As in what is described as traditional Middle Easternterror, acts of terrorism in Mexico and Central Americashow startling similarities. The dissimilar attributeswould solely be violent acts of a holy war. Mexico andthe northern cone Central America nations are virtuallyoverwhelmed with violence and killings, with the intentof these acts being to coerce the civilian populationsand influence government policies, as well asdomination and control by abduction andassassination.

The territorial nature is designed to expand theimpunity with which the criminals conduct theiractivities through corruption and against weakinstitutions, weak and non-existent legislation, and areluctance to allocate sufficient resources to defend

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against the insurgents.

The attacks and violence do not have to be catastrophicin magnitude, but rather well-orchestrated acts thatachieve massive media coverage for the extremists to

get prime time media exposure. Mexico's Los Zetasembrace the graphic displays of decapitated andmutilated victims posed and placed in public places, aswell as bodies hanging from bridges and similar

arbaric acts. And they love to leave a sign which istheir calling card -- "Z."

Innocents have routinely been targeted for abduction,ransom, torture, and death. Migrants have beenslaughtered and buried in mass graves. Los Zetas andother insurgents have stalked and ambushed military

units with head-on confrontations, and they havetargeted law enforcement and other governmentofficials for abduction and murder.

These terrorists share traditional terror modusoperandi in superior weaponry and explosive devices,as well as strategic paramilitary style concealment andmovement; pre-attack surveillance; and sophisticatedcommunications capabilities. They have realized thetheatrical nature of their murderous acts and like it.This not so cleverly represents identity to them,although most are also known as drug traffickers forprofit which is not their intended message. However,the violence is cleverly choreographed to demonstratethat they are an organized force representing powerand control like any other guerrilla-like insurgentgroup.

The deadly dividing line and counterpoint between theterrorists and the reported media coverage is quitesimply the degree of intended importance that themedia sets for this reporting agenda, and how thestories are framed in terms of their influence as to how

the message is understood and interpreted. As themedia crosses the perceived line of ethics of thesegroups relating to their performance and individualityaspects, media-types are watched, stalked, kidnapped,tortured, and murdered in true terrorism modusoperandi, and a new message is placed before theaudience to be interpreted.

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Mexico has been described as "one of the world's mostdangerous countries for journalists." Sources claim thatmore than "300 journalists have been killed since the1980s in Mexico" alone, with many still reportedmissing. The astounding terror nature of this

murdering rampage is the description that journalistdeaths in Mexico are more than those counterpartskilled in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As with traditional terrorism, Latin Americaninsurgents must rely on consistent recruitment ofadditional crime soldiers. Lately, in Central Americaand Mexico, their preferences have been local streetgang and territorial gang members, as well as membersof the armed forces who are willing to desert theirranks, as did many of the original Zetas and

Guatemalan Kaibiles.

These nations in harm's way of the increasing terrorcycle must be able to improve the quality and trainingof their police and military units. Plus, theirinvestigators, prosecutors, and courts must be preparedto effect and sustain justice and law and order. Thecounterattack is simply about comprehensive strategiccounterterrorism, and capacity building.

Mexico and the U.S. missed the wakeup call and calling cardof terrorism across the U.S. border from Laredo, Texas in

Nuevo Laredo, Mexico in July 2005(http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2005_38

95397). These violent acts of extremism are war-like and donot appear to be diminishing with over 50,000 killed in bodycount.

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Jerry Breweris C.E.O. of Criminal Justice InternationalAssociates, a global threat mitigation firmheadquartered in northern Virginia. His website is

located athttp://www.cjiausa.org/ . TWITTER:cjiausa

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