Mexico Drug Wars, Is It A Shared Responsibility (post #29)

A recent op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times, Mexico's Drug War: Crossing the Border, raises the the subject of the cross border nature of the drug wars taking place in Mexico today. Over 15,000 people died in violence related to the drug wars in Mexico in 2010. The violence has caused the deaths of Americans on both sides of the border as well. Do you think America is responsible for the violence crossing the border? The violence in Mexico? The weapons used are blamed on American private gun dealers and government programs to help Mexico fight the drug cartels. Rueben Martinez the author of the piece also points out that the illegal drug market in the United States is a driving force in the slaughter happening in Mexico. Most of the illegal drugs used in America come from or through Mexico. The huge demand in America drives the the whole illegal drug trade. What do you think should be done? Is this just Mexico's problem? Should the U.S. expand it's involvement in ending the cartel's power over Mexico? What do you think? Please respect the thoughts of others when blogging.