Americans are being bombarded about a crisis at the border. This time, however, they are not discussing joint efforts with Mexico — they want to send troops to fight the drug cartels.
Calls for military action reverberate through the halls of Congress, governors’ mansions and at Republican primary campaign stops in Iowa and New Hampshire.
They aren’t demands to place a wall of armed soldiers along the border. Instead, they are calls for military strikes to obliterate the Mexican drug cartels. Proponents of this idea point to the deaths of 100,000 Americans last year from overdosing on Mexican-produced fentanyl.
And let’s be frank, those calling for an invasion also don’t like or respect Mexicans.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Republican newcomer Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Tim Scott, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, and of course Donald Trump are campaigning to send troops into Mexico.
From this list of potential presidents, only one has actual military service — DeSantis, who served in the Navy as a lawyer.
If the Republican calls for military action are heeded, it would be the fourth time the United States has invaded Mexico.
The first was in 1846 that concluded with the U.S. taking half of Mexico’s territory, including what became California. The second was in1914 when Marines occupied the port of Tampico because a U.S. admiral felt Mexican troops had “dishonored” the American flag.
The third was just two years later in 1916 when a punitive expedition was ordered into Mexico from Texas by President Woodrow Wilson. The famous Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa had attacked Columbus, New Mexico, and killed Americans.
The punitive expedition failed. In the last battle with Mexican government troops, Americans were killed and taken prisoner. A diplomatic agreement ended the expedition.
The only accomplishment was to allow Wilson to mobilize 100,000 troops along the border as a dress rehearsal for World War I. He was preparing for bigger war even as he called for peace.
In light of that history, how do Americans really feel about invading their southern neighbor and biggest trading partner?
A recent survey gives us some clues. It was conducted by the University of Chicago’s Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts and The Associated Press-Norc Center of Public Affairs Research.
Some of the survey’s results truly surprised many people. It turns out that only 3% of those surveyed support military action to fight drug cartels in Mexico.
Have Americans learned that warfare isn’t always the answer to perceived problems between countries?
War over crimes against humanity, evil ideology, or invasions can be justified. But over smuggled pills?
Or is it just that the Republican proponents of invasion have no clue how to resolve the problem, which is to cut demand. It’s simple; no demand, no supply and no need to invade. But blaming Mexico is apparently easier.
Raoul Lowery Contreras is a Marine Corps veteran, political consultant, prolific author and host of the Contreras Report on YouTube and Facebook.
