Abstract
The Merida Initiative is a new stage in the development of security cooperation between the two countries. [1] It is not a bilateral agreement or treaty; it is a collection of legislation on the part of the United States of America, in which the Congressional Appropriations Committee allocates resources used by Mexican agencies. Because there is no treaty or document with international legal validity that the Mexican Congress can accept, modify or ratify, it has no control over the manner in which resources are allocated. When it was unveiled, the Initiative was criticised along two main lines. The first referred to the supposed infringement of Mexican sovereignty by the United States government, and the second to fears of militarisation of the Mexican territory, which could foster human rights abuses. In this article, issues of sovereignty related to the Merida Initiative are discussed. The first section deals with the concept of sovereignty and its application. The second zooms into the relationship between Mexico and the United States after the Merida Initiative. In the third, some reflections on the way forward are expressed.
Highlights
Sovereignty is a cornerstone of the international system and of modern nationstates
It is not a bilateral agreement or treaty; it is a collection of legislation on the part of the United States of America, in which the Congressional Appropriations Committee allocates resources used by Mexican agencies
Because there is no treaty or document with international legal validity that the Mexican Congress can accept, modify or ratify, it has no control over the manner in which resources are allocated
Summary
Sovereignty is a cornerstone of the international system and of modern nationstates. Yet the traditional understanding of this concept is being challenged by problems of such magnitude and extent that they cannot be dealt with by one state single-handedly. Latin America faces most aspects of the supply chain of illicit substances, from cultivation to processing and transport to consumption,[6] yet drugs produced in the region are mostly an export product to developed markets.[7] Northern states and southern governments are linked together by this supply chain. They all have a stake in preventing damage to their own territory and population, but the problem is so widespread that no one country can act alone in doing so.
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