In recent months the debate about violence in Mexico has heated up significantly. Most news channels and newspapers have been giving a broad coverage on the facts of crime, which are usually focused on the issue of combating organized crime.

When it comes to human lives, it is always difficult to speak coldly about figures. But when we need to know what really is going on, in terms of crime, we can do nothing but refer to them.

The indicator that measures the violence in a country is the number of violent deaths per 100,000 people. It has the advantage of allowing comparisons among countries’ figures with different population sizes and it is highly reliable since in all countries it is necessary to produce death certificates to account for a death caused for any reason whatsoever. Therefore, in the case of violent deaths, there is no possibility that this indicator, unlike others, could observe significant levels of sub report given that violent deaths are registred by law in all countries.

According to available indicators, Mexico as a country has a general level of 13.3 violent deaths per 100.000 inhabitants, making it one of the safest countries in Latin America. Levels in Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela surprised us since they are at high as 16.8, 36.7 and 44.9 deaths per 100,000 population, respectively. Brazil and Venezuela are two and almost three times more violent than Mexico, respectively.

Moreover, if we compare this indicator with some U.S. cities we will see that our country is much better than we would expect to imagine. Comparing Mexico to Washington DC, New Orleans or Detroit the difference is very big, violence is a tangible problem in those cities. And without going too far, Mexico City has 9.8 violent deaths per 100,000 people, far below of other major cities like Houston, with 12.5, Phoenix, witn 12.6, and Los Angeles, with 17.1. It is true that there is a big problem in Ciudad Juarez and three other municipalities, which altogether sum up to more than 50% of violent deaths in Mexico. The rest of the 2,396 municipalities which form the country have relatively low violence levels.

According to figures provided by the Mexican Government, the battle against organized crime has caused 24,826 violent deaths in the last four years. As it is continuosly said, inside and outside the country, it has turned Mexico in an extremely dangerous country to live. A country that sadly some have said is in “civil war” and that is a “failed state.” This is definitely not true.

Although a number like 24,826 seems pretty high, it is time to put it in context. This number represents a little over 6,000 deaths per year on average. Each year, 20,000 people die in Mexico in road accidents and more than 50,000 because of diabetes. If we look at violent deaths to compare, in the U.S. 6,000 veterans commit suicide every year. So, during the same period, the same amount of persons have died as a consecuence of the U.S. post-war trauma, as the war on drugs in Mexico.

And while there is some exposure about this phenomenon in the U.S. media, it does not reach the same exposure as in Mexico. Here we are in a frenzy of daily information that the only thing that portaits is the presence of violence. Our conversations with family, friends, at office, in restaurants, are all about violence. We enroll ourselves and enroll others, including foreigners, in the idea that violence in Mexico has reached unsuspected levels. And there’s no evidence to support that. It is only our perception. We find ourselves filtering and searching all events and news, looking for those that speak of violence. And likewise, those are the news we speak about. It is a conversation, just a conversation.

This has affected the levels of tourism, investment and economic prospects for the country, and it is not supported by real figures, data and facts, it is only a perception. The good news is that we have the power to change that perception. It just takes to take a look at the data and facts.

Ultimately, the best way to combat violence is to leave behind the fear that generates in ourselves and do something that makes us feel safe. We have to realize that by enrolling ourselves and others in a violence conversation we end up being paralyzed. What would be possible if we focus on facts and data to make us and others see that we can be responsible for creating an environment to grow and prosper instead of creating a violent space with our everyday conversations? You have this power, do it for North America and in the end you will be doing something positive for yourself and for others.

SB 1070 is the new law enacted and passed by the state of Arizona and is the most comprehensive and stringent anti-immigration measure yet seen for decades in the United States. Among other things under law it is now considered a crime for anyone -and subject to arrest without warrant- if it is unable to prove lawful residence in the United States upon being asked based on “reasonable suspicion” to provide that proof. Starting on July or August 2010, when this law is enforced, the Arizona State Police will be allowed to detain any individual who does not look Native American or has “immigrant looking” and cannot prove their legality at the time in that country.

President Obama condemned this law mentioning that it “undermines the basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and our communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe.” He also mentioned that this state law comes from the lack of regulation that has been taken at the federal level on the issue of migration. Therefore, considered that this issue can be reviewed at the federal level to avoid similar situations in the future.

Similarly, the President of Mexico, Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, condemned the law considering it unacceptable and discriminatory. “In May I will make a visit to President Obama and the United States Congress. Be certain that in all meetings and spaces that I will have, as President of Mexico, the issue about the rights of Mexicans in the U.S. and anywhere in the world, as well as the urgent need for progress on sound, sensible, human and balanced schemes will be imperatively discussed. ”

Mexican immigrants in the United States are essential to preserve the American way of life. Without them, and according to statistics, the cost of living in the United States would increase significantly. It is not an issue about how immigrants got here and why they left. It is about hard working people making a difference, a contribution to the US economy!

It is imperative to put this issue into perspective. In Mexico there are 1.5 million American citizens living illegally. Population trends in Mexico and the United States indicate that by 2025 Mexico will stop sending immigrants to the United States, since they will be required for their own national growth. The United States is actually running out of manpower and “expelling” their senior citizens to Mexico. The United States cannot compete with China unless it strengthens its ties with Canada and Mexico and aligns accordingly their facilities of natural resources and manufactures. By 2025 there will be 12 million U.S. citizens in Mexico, it is only a matter of time and they know this very well in Washington DC, that is why their speech is so different.

Our countries, our bonds, our heritage, and the millions of Americans that have their roots in México…our friendship, our illegal Mexican immigrants in the USA, the 1.5 million illegal US citizens living happily in Mexico all are contribution and progress to our countries. It is only by building a respectful win-win relationship that North America will stand tall and beyond!!!

Image: courtesy of immigration.change.org

Reading a review on the book “In the Shadow of the Giant: The Americanization of Modern Mexico” triggered exactly the same feelings of frustration and awe that are behind the inspiration of this blog.

The book was written by Joseph Contreras, a former Newsweek correspondent in Mexico and now editor of The News, an English language newspaper in Mexico.

From the review I gather that his book tries to show how Mexico has become increasingly Americanized, and how relations between the two neighboring countries might be moving forward.  But his insights, at least as laid out on the review, are worrying.

His claim is that the fundamental dynamics of the relationship between the United States and Mexico remain the same since the 1980s (this, I agree with), but he continues to say that “Policymakers in Washington prefer to treat Mexico as the international equivalent of an appendage that is always ready to service certain indispensable needs of American society when it is required and can be disowned whenever it suits U.S. interests,” and continues “That handy appendage attached to America’s doorstep will continue to absorb and imitate the values, vices, lifestyle, and language of El Norte for the foreseeable future without any realistic hope that Washington might one day accept Mexico as a full partner.”

This is the exact attitude that will take the relationship nowhere!

Policymakers from both sides of the border need to change their conversation. That’s a fact. BUT, citizens from both countries also need to start looking at the common ground on the issues that affect us both with realistic hope. And by citizens I obviously include journalists-made-authors.

If those who hold the pen keep on reporting the issues as “hopeless”, then once both governments finally open their eyes, get their act together and start working on a favorable relationship, those who are directly affected by it (i.e. all of us) will be too used to having a negative attitude and there will be no hope left on any of us to take positive action.