Mexico poet an emblem of nation’s drug war carnage
Dear Editor,
Please allow me to submit the following response to your May 20th story, “Mexico poet an emblem of nation’s drug war carnage,” by Ken Ellington.
I appreciated the detailed profile provided of Mexican poet Javier Sicilia’s march for peace and his role as an emblem of Mexico’s woes. However, I believe former COHA Research Associate Ken Ellington may have managed to underestimate the power of Sicilia’s movement. Although previous peace efforts in Mexico have failed to achieve lasting results, Sicilia’s campaign is both powerful and unique, considering it is organized by the victims and families of the bloody war against drugs. Sicilia’s movement has unified much of Mexico around his messianic cause. Furthermore, his call for the resignation of Secretary of Public Security García Luna is not misguided, but would represent a logical step towards peace. It is inexcusable that such a highly placed authority should be allowed to have alleged direct ties to the Sinaloa cartel. If true, this would constitute him to be one of the main contributors to Mexico’s contemporary wave of violence. Sicilia has managed to initiate a spirited dialogue among senior politicians, including President Calderón, something rarely seen in any anti-crime movement in modern Mexican history.
Sincerely,
Natalia Cote-Muñoz
Research Associate, Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA)