How Terrorism Is Designed to Work and How to Counter It Andrew Kydd and Barbara Walter, “The Strategies of Terrorism,” International Security (Summer 2006) pp. 49-80. Case: Max Fisher and Amanda Taub, “Mexico’s Record Violence is a Crisis 20 Years in the Making,” The New York Times, October 28, 2017. Assignment Questions: Some people have argued that violence perpetrated by drug cartels in Mexico is a form of intimidation. Assuming this is true, lay out the logic by which violence by drug lords is designed to achieve the goals these leaders are seeking. Assuming this argument is false, give an alternate explanation for why violence is being used.

Violence in Mexico

Mexico has experienced increased rates of crime and violence over the past decade which is projected to increase in future years. The patterns and degrees of violence and crime have also changed radically and the rates of homicide have attained record levels. This has affected the security levels in Mexico and it remains problematic which shows that effective guidelines are urgently required to address the situation. Organized crime is highly responsible for the security concerns in Mexico and it also presents problems to the authorities as it is widespread and hard to control due to being deeply rooted in the country. Violence is designed to make the perpetrators more powerful and dominate over other people where they can formulate policies that favor their drug businesses at all costs.

Most drug lords use violence for them to obtain territory. Turf wars obey the logic of subjugation which is well theorized and individuals will use violence to physically acquire territories and resources when they are unable to meet firm bargained solutions. Moreover, subjugation can be decisive and also produces results that are hard or expensive to reverse (Fisher & Taub 17). Most drug lords want larger territories than their rivals to gain reputation and a wider market. Through this, they can dominate the drug business and suppress other rivals to a big extent. Drug lords that dominate the market also tend to be more violent as they have larger gangs that can participate in excessive violence for long periods of time.