Blog Phase 7

The latest article on the Mexican Drug War I found was published by the New York Times in October of 2012 titled, "Mexican Drug Trafficking (Mexico's Drug Wars)". The article basically recaps, and discusses significant events of the Mexican Drug War, such as then-president Felipe Calderón's attack on the drug cartels that started the war in December of 2006, the new policies being established by the current president, Enrique Peña Nieto, recent spikes in violence at the United States-Mexican border, and the U.S. government's plans on dealing with violence connected to Mexican drug cartels on U.S. soil.

This article is relatively recent, and references events that have been discussed in several other news articles such as Time magazine, the L.A. Times, National Geographic, the Mexican newspaper El Ágora, and various books. The article also discusses the United States' government's plan on combating the violence on American soil, which I can cover, and explain how this war is affecting the United States. By applying the CRAAP test, this article shows that it is reliable, not by only discussing the war's impact on the United States, but also how our country is reacting to it.

Blog Phase 6

A recent article I found dated January 26, 2013 is called "Drug war rages on the edge of Mexico City" by Dudley Althaus from Globalpost. This article details the violence caused by the Mexican drug cartels is slowly moving towards Mexico City. Mexico City at one point was a dangerous city for tourists, but since the outbreak of the Mexican Drug War on December 11, 2006, the violence and crime had shifted towards the U.S.-Mexican border. However, all that has changed. The violence is starting to spread to Mexico City. For example, twelve bodies were found in trash bags in Toluca the capital city of the state of Mexico. The president has so far been trying to establish military power near the border where the majority of the violence is located, but at the same time, establishing control in Mexico City.

I believe that this article is a reliable source because it comes from Globalpost. I have read other articles from them, and they have shown they are reliable. Another reason is the information I have read from this article, I have read from various other articles as well. This shows that the information is reliable.

Blog Phase 5

A new source I have found is a book written by Sylvia Longmire entitled "Cartel: The Coming Invasion of Mexico's Drug Wars". This book is a biography detailing the Mexican drug cartels and their impact on Mexico and the United States.

I feel this book is a reliable source for a few reasons. To start out, the author is a border security expert who has documented the Mexican drug cartels for multiple years. She is also a medically retired Air Force captain, and former Special Agent of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Longmire has also worked for several years in the California Emergency Management Agency's Situational Awareness Unit where she focused exclusively on Mexican drug traffickers and the U.S.-Mexico border violence issues. This shows that Longmire has experience with studying these organizations, and is a reliable source.

The very first chapter talks about a man named Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera. Loera, also known by his nickname "El Chapo", is the boss of the Sinaloa drug cartel, the largest drug cartel in Mexico, and the most powerful drug cartel in the world. Loera is also currently the most wanted (non-terrorist) criminal in the United States and Mexico. His American bounty is currently five million dollars. In Mexico his bounty is 30 million pesos which equals to $2,364,402. The book details Loera's early life in La Tuna de Badiraguato. Loera worked for most of his childhood, and early teens in the poppy fields outside the town. In his early twenties, Loera left the fields and entered the drug trade with four men who created the Beltrán-Leyva Organization, which as of 2010 has been disbanded.

This book is very informational, and with the author's expertise in the subject, this is a reliable source.

Blog Phase 4

A new article I have recently found was published by PBS. The article is called "The Place Mexico's Drug Kingpins Call Home" by Jake Bergman. It details the state of Sinaloa in North-Western Mexico. Sinaloa is currently the main turf of the largest drug cartel in the world, the Sinaloa Cartel, led by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Other major drug traffickers are also located in Sinaloa, making it one of the largest drug trafficking centers in the world.

The article is credible as it was published by PBS which is a broadcasting company. This article is credible as it makes references to past events regarding drug trafficking in Sinaloa. The article also contains quotes from law enforcement officers regarding the situation in Sinaloa. These show that the article is a credible source, and provides a lot of information regarding drug trafficking in Sinaloa, Mexico.

The article starts off by introducing Sinaloa and a little bit of where it is located, and also the major drug traffickers located there. The article then goes on and talks about a major city in Sinaloa called Culiacan, and how the drug trade has influence the souvenir industry. Many people who support the drug traffickers wear marijuana-leaf necklaces, custom made cowboy boots, belt buckles with a picture of a machine gun, and even embroideries of airplanes which is one of the methods Mexican drug traffickers supply their cargo (mainly cocaine, marijuana, and heroin).
The drug traffickers also have a "patron saint", an outlaw named Jesus Malverde who was executed in 1909. He was portrayed as a Robin Hod style hero. In fact, there even is a chapel dedicated to him. However many Mexicans regard the drug trafficker's beliefs as nothing more than a mixture of Catholicism and Animism.
The rest of the article goes on and talks about how the drug trafficking trade began in Sinaloa, and the major groups who are currently at war with each other, or competing with each other in Sinaloa and various other states in Mexico.

Blog Phase 3

The first article I found was titled "Mexican Drug Wars", by an anonymous author. The article is from Facts on File News Services on the Issues & Controversies database.

This article will be helpful because it gives the reader some basic information and topics on the Mexican Drug War, such as debates on gun control, legilization of drugs, and militarizing the U.S.-Mexico border. The article also provides a map of cities which are considered "high violence" areas, and a chart that details public opinion on drug violence. I could use this as inspiration for writing my blog.

The next article I found was titled "Mexico's drug war undiminished in some areas close to Texas" by Alfredo Corchado. This article is a news article from Dallas News. It details current events on the Mexican Drug War in Texas.

This article will be helpful as it details that the drug war is not exclusive to Mexico. It also details current events, and can inform and update people on what is happening in the war. It also discusses Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto's stance on the drug war, and his plans on combating the Mexican Drug Cartels.

Blog Phase 2

My name is James Shields, and I will be blogging about the Mexican Drug War. I picked this topic as the war in Mexico is currently one of the greatest threats to Mexico and the United States. I have quite a bit of knowledge about the drug war already, and I tend to keep up with current events in Mexico. I hope to learn how serious this war is, and how it not only affects Mexico, but the United States, and the entire world as well. My audience is pretty much to everyone who reads this as this war is a serious threat and is something that should not be taken lightly.