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 Editorials | At Issue
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2009: Mexico's Bloodiest Year of the Decade
 Esther Sánchez
In 2009, Mexico experienced its most violent and dangerous year of the past decade with a homicide count of at least 7,724, a toll largely attributable to the government's offensive against drug traffickers and the turf wars being waged between the rival cartels themselves.
US-LatAm: More Continuity Than Change
 Jim Lobe
Nearly one year after his inauguration, hopes that President Barack Obama would bring fundamental changes to U.S. relations with Latin American have faded badly.
In Mexico's Drug Battle, the Public is Missing in Action
 Tracy Wilkinson & Ken Ellingwood
Faced with drug-cartel violence and signs of vigilantism against the gangs, ordinary people would argue that it doesn't pay to get involved.
Emma Lazarus Redux
 William Fisher
Wouldn't you think that after a couple of hundred years of immigration, we'd have figured out how to run this system?
Wars and Disputed Elections: The Most Dangerous Stories for Journalists
 Reporters Without Borders
Two appalling events marked 2009: one was the largest ever massacre of journalists in a single day – a total of 30 killed – by the private militia of a governor in the southern Philippines and the other was an unprecedented wave of arrests and convictions of journalists and bloggers in Iran following President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s disputed reelection.
Mexican Editor Detained by State Government
 Frontera NorteSur
As Mexico prepares to mark the twin anniversaries of its 1810 War of Independence and 1910 Revolution — events ushered in with cries of freedom and justice — a prominent newsman was detained and interrogated because of an article he wrote.
Debate Over Body Scanners
 Ben Berkowitz
Technology exists that might have detected explosives hidden in the underwear of a Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a plane over Detroit, but cost and privacy worries have until now prevented its widespread use.
New Year's Resolution for the Americas: End the Drug War; Give Peace a Chance
 Bill Conroy
As we begin 2010, a new decade in a new century, with an old war that in 2009 inflicted a record number of murders in the border town of Juarez even as the drugs and illicit profits continued to flow through the arteries of commerce that feed Mexico and the United States.
An American World of War: What to Watch for in 2010
 Tom Engelhardt & Nick Turse
According to the Chinese calendar, 2010 is the Year of the Tiger. We don’t name our years, but if we did, this one might prospectively be called the Year of the Assassin.
 Afghanistan and Global Dominance
 The Real News Network
Engdahl: US China strategy driving Afghan war, but no real long range thinking in place.
Couple May Have Felt False Sense of Security Before Mexico Slaying
 Tracy Wilkinson
They were aware of the dangers. Agustin Roberto "Bobby" Salcedo and his wife Betzy knew that Gomez Palacio, like much of Mexico, was no longer the tranquil spot it had been.
Migrants Face Dangers in Mexico
 John Holman
For Central American migrants hoping to make it to the US, Mexico can be the most dangerous part of their journey.
Ten Events of the Decade, 2000 to 2009
Brenda Norrell
Indigenous Peoples made history throughout this decade, struggling to protect Mother Earth, resisting colonization and exposing genocide. In the movements to resist oppression and protect the sacred, Native people carved out their place in history. Here are ten of those events.
The Grim State of the United States
 The Real News Network
James Heintz: 900,000 state workers across the US could lose jobs as state deficits explode.
Undocumented Children Pin Hopes on Revival of DREAM Act
 Alfonso Chardy
Repeatedly submitted to Congress over the years, the DREAM Act would provide green cards - permanent residency - to children of undocumented immigrants as long as they go to high school or college or enlist in the military.
California Socialist Party USA Endorses March 4th to Defend Education
 Stewart A. Alexander
On Monday, the California Socialist Party USA endorsed the March 4th national demonstrations to defend education; on that day, demonstrations will occur nationwide to protest escalating tuition fees, layoffs, cuts and attacks on education.
The Year In Pot: Top 10 Events That Will Change the Way We Think About Marijuana
 Paul Armentano
There has been a tidal shift in politics and on Marijuana laws in America, from Obama lightening up on pot prosecutions to the recognition of cancer prevention properties.
 Listen: Prominent Kidnapping Underscores Mexico Drug War
 NPR.org
More than 15,000 people have been killed in Mexico's drug war during the last three years. But along with the killings have come many kidnappings. Burton delivers an update on the case of Felix Batista, an American man kidnapped in Mexico earlier this year.
Mexico to Consolidate International Presence
 The News
The Foreign Affairs Department is aiming to position Mexico among the most important countries in the world. Throughout 2010 dozens of international dignitaries will visit Mexico during world summits hosted by the country.
Obama Positioning for Immigration Reform
 Peter Nicholas & Tom Hamburger
With the health-care battle still unfinished, the Obama administration has been laying plans to take up an issue that could prove even more divisive — a major overhaul of the nation's immigration system.
Americans Hoping 2010 Will Be Better
 Charles Babington
The bank account is thin, but the future looks pretty good. That, oddly enough, is the view of many Americans who predict 2010 will be a better year than this one, even if they fear that the U.S. economy and their own financial circumstances won't improve
Top Scientists Share Their Future Predictions
 Bryan Appleyard
From virtual brains and Matrix-like thought connections to diesel-making bacteria, what the next decade could bring.
Are America's Mercenary Armies Really Drug Cartels?
 Gordon Duff
American mercenaries in Pakistan are hundreds of miles away from areas believed to be hiding terrorists, involved in "operations" that can't have anything whatsoever to do with any CIA contract.
Obama Moves to Curb Federal Secrets
 Anne Flaherty
More than 400 million pages of Cold War-era documents could be declassified as the federal government responds to President Barack Obama's order to rethink the way it protects the nation's secrets.
2009: The Year for Gay Marriage
 Jonathan Rauch
For the gay marriage debate, 2009 was transitional instead of transformative, but the year was historic nonetheless. To mangle Churchill, it was not the end, nor even the beginning of the end, but it was at least the beginning of the middle.
Mexico's Cartel Criminals Manipulate Police Intelligence
 Jerry Brewer
Proactive security and organized crime interdiction in Mexico is being seriously compromised in at least three critical facets of national security. Those being military, diplomatic and police intelligence capabilities.
Hitmen Assassinate Prominent Woman Activist in Cabañas; Pro-Mining Violence Continues
 Jason Wallach
Six days after heavily armed men took the life of a respected anti-mining activist in Cabañas, El Salvador, another prominent community leader has been assassinated.
Mexico's Drug Ballads Hit Sour Note with Government
 Chris Hawley
Experts worry the music romanticizes leaders of cartels, desensitizes fans and undermines the fight against crime. The controversy over the music echoes similar debates over "cop killer" rap music in the United States during the height of the crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s.
The Challenge of Illicit Finance in Politics
 Guillermo Ramón Adames y Suari
The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) held its 2009 Democracy Round Table on "Illicit Funding in Politics as a Challenge to Democracy".
Gender/Language: Rejecting the Derogatory 'Feminine'
 Miren Gutierrez & Oriana Boselli
What happens to language and the way women are addressed when they start to occupy positions of responsibility? Well, it depends on the language.
Mexico Antiabortion Forces Swaying State Legislatures
 Ken Ellingwood
A year after the Supreme Court upheld a Mexico City law allowing abortion in the first trimester, 17 states have amended their constitutions to protect the unborn.
Same-Sex Marriage: Chicago Hispanics React to Mexico City's Action
 Serena Maria Daniels
Mexico City's pre-Christmas decision to legalize same-sex marriage drew the same mixed reaction in Chicago as it did back in a country widely considered to be dominated by the Catholic Church.
Argentina's "Disappeared:" Justice At Last or Reneging on Amnesty?
 Sam Ferguson
Fifty-five officials from Argentina's dictatorship - which ruled from 1976 to 1983 and "disappeared" as many as 30,000 people during the country's so-called "dirty war" - have been convicted, and 625 others are being investigated.
Mexico: Safety Comes in Pink Taxis
 Sara Miller Llana
Mexico joins countries as far away as Lebanon and India with its female-only pink taxis that provide smoother and safer transport for female commuters, as more women join the workforce.
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