Editorial: Mexico's Embattled State Demands Cartel Confrontation

For Americans, Mexico’s recent surge of beheadings, kidnappings and attacks on police was alarming enough. Then, last month, a study by the United States’ Joint Forces Command elevated the anxiety further: Along with Pakistan, the report announced, our southern neighbor is the world’s likely new “failed state.”

This is an exaggeration, and a counterproductive one. Mexico is indeed in a dangerous predicament. But before we can help it gain stability, it’s crucial to truly understand the nature of its problems.