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We can't ignore the war on our own border
Although a host of foreign policy challenges confront the Obama administration, four have dominated the president's attention: preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, dealing with China's rise as a global power, ending the war in Iraq, and escalating the war in Afghanistan. But the brazen attacks Saturday against the U.S. consulate officials in Mexico are a painful reminder of that country's bloody struggle against drug cartels, which has not gotten the attention it deserves despite the immediate threat it poses to America's national security.
The shootings took place in Ciudad Juarez, as two families left a children's birthday party hosted by the U.S. consulate. Ciudad Juarez, a border town across from El Paso, Texas, and a major crossing for drugs entering the U.S., has witnessed endless violence since President Felipe Calderon began an all-out assault on drug cartels in December 2006.
In about three years, more than 13,000 people have died, which is more than America's fatalities in Afghanistan and Iraq combined. Yet the Obama administration hasn't paid much attention to Mexico, even though this conflict has the potential to destabilize an important regional player in Latin America and spill over into the United States.