The fire next door : Mexico's drug violence and the danger to America
(Book - Regular Print)

Cast of characters: the Mexican drug cartels and their leaders: The traffickers and their groupies ; Rogues and psychopaths? ; The principal cartels: and ever-changing roster ; The weirdest group: La familia ; Beyond gangs: sophisticated business enterprises -- Calderón's war and the surge of casualties: Tragedy in Tijuana ; Epicenter of the violence: Ciudad Juárez ; The multi-sided war ; Sadism run amok ; Drug terrorism in the digital age ; A spreading plague -- Carnage in Mexico: the innocent victims: Civilians who run afoul of the cartels ; Attacks on the news media ; The Catholic Church: a new target? ; Just being in the wrong place at the wrong time -- "Silver or lead?": the sources of the cartel's power: The political clout of the cartels ; The "Silver or Lead?" dilemma ; Pervasive official corruption ; The cartels as major economic players ; Using the stick -- Mexico: a new failed state?: No region is truely safe ; Rising fear and its economic impact ; Refugees fleeing the chaos ; Signs of vigilantes ; The military and human-rights abuses ; The corroding Mexican state --

Calderón's strategy: a failing grade: Calderón: Elliot Niess or Ambrose Burnside? ; The decapitation strategy ; War Weariness ;;- Calderón: No surrender! ; No real change in strategy ; Spreading the problem to Mexico's neighbors ; Mexico's drug war after Calderón

Mexico's corruption and violence: a threat to Americans?: The growing Mexican cartel presence in the United States ; Corruption migrating north of the border ; Dangers to Americans in Mexico ; Violence spilling over the border: myth or realty? ; A climate of fear

Washington's own war on the cartels: The Mérida initiative ; A glimpse into a troubling reality: the WikiLeaks documents ; Washingont's expanding role south of the Rio Grande ; Washington's offensive against the cartels in the United States

Scapegoats and bogus solutions: Scapegoat: lax U.S. gun laws ; Bogus solution: seal the border ; Bogus solution: drastically reduce demand for illegal drugs in the United States

Biting the bullet: defunding the cartels: Colombia: model or illusion? ; Is an appeasement policy feasible in Mexico? ; Other "Band-Aid" solutions ; The legalization model snare or solution? ; Warning support around the world for the war on drugs ; Changing attitudes in the United States regarding drug policy ; Biting the bullet and helping our neighbor.