No quick fix for Mexico’s war on drugs

MEXICO’S new president has vowed to demilitarise the campaign against drug cartels, but thousands of troops likely will remain in the field for years to come, spearheaded by US-favoured naval infantry.

Enrique Peña Nieto, who took office on Dec 1, assured the country this month that the army and the navy will be pulled out as soon as civilian police — including a new federal quasi-military force — are capable of taking on the gangs.

His predecessor, Felipe Calderón, said much the same thing through his six years in power.