| | |  Americas & Beyond 
US Security Chief: Mexico Can Beat Organized Crime
 The News
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February 05, 2010
Washington – The Director of the National Intelligence of the United States (DNI), Dennis Blair, said on Tuesday that Mexico faces a “critical test” due to the attacks by organized crime, but he does not think that cartels will destabilize the country.
“We estimate that drug cartels will not destabilize the political situation even if violence has increased,” Blair stated.
In the Annual Threat Assessment, Blair said that Mexican democracy is “strong” and that the determination of President Felipe Calderón to fight crime has been key during his administration.
“Calderón is determined to break the power and influence of cartels and reduce the flow of drugs, regardless of how slow the process is and high violence levels,” said Blair.
In regards to politics, Blair said that the opposition political parties approve of the war against drugs while the Army is committed to supporting the government.
The Annual Threat Assessment covers all regions of the world and assigns an entire chapter to Latin America. This chapter says that democracy and free market policies are threatened by populism, crime, corruption and bad political administration.
“In most of the countries, serious economic problems have affected democratic institutions. In some parts of Mexico and Central America, for example, powerful cartels and violent crimes undermine basic security,” he said.
Separately, Director Blair said he estimates that foreign investment in Mexico dropped by 30 percent in 2009.
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