Mexico Internal Security Surveillanceand Authoritarianism (original) (raw)

Organized crime and national security in México

2010

The article explores the issue of the organized crime and national security in Mexico. The article's author argue that two key factors shaping the current situation of organized crime in Mexico are: 1) the globalization of organized crime, which implies more complex and ample networks in order to operate; 2) transition to a democratic regime that implies governance against the threats to the State and society, by which organized crime has become the main threat to the State. The article consists of analysis of different aspects of the problem of organized crime in Mexico, including: the problem of drug trafficking and its connection to the geographical position of Mexico; bilateral relations between United States and Mexico in the context of the problem of national security (especially after the change in American level of priority of threats after the September 11 th 2001); and a set of combined processes-the endemic weakness of Central American States that lead to the boom in organized crime in the region as well as migration, different kinds of smuggling and human trafficking-all of them linking Mexico with Central America in the context of negative globalization. The author of the article concludes that the problem of organized crime in the Mexican borders have become an issue of national security, but it is also an issue of transnational security. Globalization transforms these phenomena into intermestic issues where separating the external and internal dimensions of these activities becomes impossible.

Lawful and unlawful surveillance in Mexican democracy / Vigilancia legal e ilegal en la democracia mexicana

Revista Internacional de Comunicación y Desarrollo (RICD), 2018

With the access to always more sophisticated and technologically advanced surveillance tools, it is crucial to develop progressive legislation to safeguard human rights and to ensure governments do not abuse their power by engaging in excessive state surveillance. This article investigates the use governments give to these surveillance instruments, focusing on Mexico. Firstly, we offer an overview of recent cases exposing governments' use of mass surveillance to repress critics. Secondly, we analyze what legislation is in place for data protection and privacy in some countries and how authoritarian governments employ surveillance methods to control their citizens. Thirdly, the Mexican legislation about data protection and access is presented. Fourthly, we describe how the Mexican authorities employ unlawful surveillance methods against critics with the complicity of telecommunications companies. Finally, we propose a few reforms to strengthen data and privacy protection in Mexico. Lawful and unlawful surveillance in Mexican democracy Vigilancia legal e ilegal en la democracia mexicana Resumen Con la existencia de herramientas cada vez más sofisticadas y tecnológicamente más avanzadas resulta fundamental desarrollar leyes para defender los derechos humanos y asegurar que los gobiernos no abusen de su poder aplicando una vigilancia estatal excesiva. Este artículo investiga el uso que los gobiernos hacen de estos instrumentos con un enfoque especial sobre México. En primer lugar, se presentan algunos casos recientes que ilustran el uso de la vigilancia masiva por parte de ciertos gobiernos para reprimir sus críticos. Después, se analiza las leyes existentes en materia de protección de datos y privacidad en algunos países ilustrando cómo los gobiernos autoritarios utilizan métodos de vigilancia para controlar a sus ciudada

Security Sector Reform in México

gemäß § 25 Abs. 1 der Prüfungs-und Studienordnung des weiterbildenden Studiums "Public Policy" an der Universität Erfurt Ich versichere, dass ich die vorgelegte Arbeit selbstständig und ohne unerlaubte Hilfe Dritter angefertigt habe. Alle Stellen, die ich wörtlich oder annähernd wörtlich aus Veröffentlichungen jeglicher Art entnommen habe, sind als solche kenntlich gemacht. Ich habe mich keiner anderen als der angegebenen Literatur oder sonstiger Hilfsmittel bedient. Diese Arbeit hat weder in gleicher noch in ähnlicher Form einer anderen Prüfungsbehörde im In-oder Ausland vorgelegen. I affirm that the work I have submitted was done independently and without unauthorized assistance from third parties. All parts which I took word-for-word or nearly word-for-word from any sort of publication are recognizable as such. I did not use any means or resources other than the literature I have quoted. This work was not submitted in this or any similar form to an examination committee in or outside of Germany. Erfurt, Datum / Date Unterschrift / Signature Name (Blockschrift / block letters)

Mexico's Fight against Transnational Organized Crime

This work examines the security challenges facing Mexico, and analyzes the structures, capabilities and initiatives of the Mexican government to respond, with a focus on the Mexican Army, Navy and National Police.

Lawful and unlawful surveillance in Mexican democracy

With the access to always more sophisticated and technologically advanced surveillance tools, it is crucial to develop progressive legislation to safeguard human rights and to ensure governments do not abuse their power by engaging in excessive state surveillance. This article investigates the use governments give to these surveillance instruments, focusing on Mexico. Firstly, we offer an overview of recent cases exposing governments' use of mass surveillance to repress critics. Secondly, we analyze what legislation is in place for data protection and privacy in some countries and how authoritarian governments employ surveillance methods to control their citizens. Thirdly, the Mexican legislation about data protection and access is presented. Fourthly, we describe how the Mexican authorities employ unlawful surveillance methods against critics with the complicity of telecommunications companies. Finally , we propose a few reforms to strengthen data and privacy protection in Mexico. Lawful and unlawful surveillance in Mexican democracy Vigilancia legal e ilegal en la democracia mexicana Resumen Con la existencia de herramientas cada vez más sofisticadas y tecnológicamente más avanzadas resulta fundamental desarrollar leyes para defender los derechos huma-nos y asegurar que los gobiernos no abusen de su poder aplicando una vigilancia estatal excesiva. Este artículo investiga el uso que los gobiernos hacen de estos ins-trumentos con un enfoque especial sobre México. En primer lugar, se presentan algunos casos recientes que ilustran el uso de la vigilancia masiva por parte de cier-tos gobiernos para reprimir sus críticos. Después, se analiza las leyes existentes en materia de protección de datos y privacidad en algunos países ilustrando cómo los gobiernos autoritarios utilizan métodos de vigilancia para controlar a sus ciudada-Chiara Mantovani is a lecturer at the Deparment of International Business of Cetys University (campus Ensenada). Bache-lor's degree in Modern Languages at the University of Verona (Italy) and Master of Science in International Public Policy at University College London-UCL (UK). Research areas: impact of public policies, gender theories, philosophies and policies, as well as international economy and international marketing. Contacto: chiara.mantovani@uclmail.net NOTAS BIOGRÁFICAS

External Police Oversight in Mexico: Experiences, Challenges, and Lessons Learned

After nearly 20 years of ‘reformist’ measures, the police in Mexico continues to be an ineffective, unreliable, and ‘far from citizen’ institution. The efforts made so far have faded amongst political interests and agendas; multidimensional frameworks out-dated at both conceptual and interagency levels; short-sighted competition for resources; evaluation and performance monitors that are handicapped by bureaucratic inaction; and weak transparency and accountability that perpetuate the opacity in which the police operate. In this context, the agenda of external police oversight is still at a rudimentary stage. However, there are several initiatives that have managed to push the issue to the frontier of new knowledge and promising practices. This paper outlines the experiences and challenges of—as well as the lessons learned by—the Institute for Security and Democracy (Insyde) A.C., one of the most recognised think tanks in Mexico.

Fighting Organized Crime in Mexico: 2006-2012

International Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Sciences, 2015

According to the former president Felipe Calderon, the National Security Strategy, designed to overcome violence related with organized crime, made progress by the end of his Administration and improved security as a whole. This article sets two hypothesis based on Calderon's statement: the more money invested in security, the lower the rate of homicides and the higher the rate of homicides the lower Economic prosperity. We proved these hypotheses by comparing the rate of homicides during President Calderon with those computed by former president Ernesto Zedillo and Vicente Fox. Our finding show that President Calderon invested in security a lot more than his predecessors, but could not reduce the rate of homicides. At the end of his presidency, the country became more violent but more prosperous as well.