U.S. drug-war aid to Mexico lags as violence rages, damping growth
By Jonathan J. Levin
Bloomberg
The U.S. government has delivered only about 9 percent of the $1.6 billion in drug-war aid promised to Mexico and Central America as Mexican executives say increasing violence is the greatest threat to the economy.
U.S. agencies were forced to delay delivering training and equipment included in the 2008 Merida Initiative because they lacked staff and funding, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a report that is to be released to the U.S. Congress today. The report also says there is little oversight to determine if the funds are doing any good.
The impact of violence is the biggest threat to the Mexican economy, according to 57 percent of Mexican executives, up from 49 percent in March and 22 percent in December 2009, a survey published yesterday by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu showed.
