More Arrests, Less Peace: The Security Paradox in Mexico

!!!

Issue Sep 10-16 2025: Meditating on public security has become a daily ritual in Mexico. Morning talk shows offer details about rising and falling crime statistics, and images of criminals in handcuffs give the impression that the state is ultimately in control. But the reality on the ground is quite different: it is enough to spend even a short time in Michoacán, Zacatecas, or Acapulco to discover that large areas of Mexico have been transformed into war zones for factional disputes between cartels, that ordinary families live in fear, that extortion is draining local businesses, and that murder is a depressingly common occurrence.

To read the full content subscribe today!