WHY MEXICO DESERVES UNDIVIDED ATTENTION

Mexico's consul general in Texas, Enrique Hubbard Urrea, recently
suggested to us that his country has turned the corner on drug
violence and that life is returning to normal. News reports indicate
that once-violent cities, such as Nuevo Laredo, have calmed down
significantly.

After a record year of violence and 5,700 deaths, any improvement in
the statistics would seem to mark welcome progress. The reality,
however, could be quite different.

Last year's binge of criminality was eye-popping by
any international standard, with rampant kidnappings and a reign of
terror by drug gangs invoking the most twisted forms of carnage
imaginable. Leaders in some of the hardest-hit areas are weary and
suggest it's time to compromise. Give the drug lords their space,
the thinking goes, and they'll leave us alone.

An authoritative U.S. source says this could explain why violence is
dropping in some places. It would also explain why newspaper editors
still don't dare publish anything remotely critical of the drug
lords, while local politicians are silent about the criminals on
their streets.

That's hardly victory.

The Obama administration should pay close attention because the
stakes have rarely been higher. President Felipe Calderon has
deployed thousands of soldiers and police officers in border cities.
He has targeted corrupt public figures for prosecution. There's talk
of joint U.S.-Mexican counternarcotics operations on both sides of
the border, marking unprecedented levels of cooperation.

Calderon's political opponents say the slow pace or progress means
it's time for a change. The Institutional Revolutionary Party, or
PRI, which governed Mexico for seven uninterrupted decades, is
jockeying to win control of the federal legislature and six
gubernatorial seats up for grabs in upcoming elections.

The PRI has a long history of corruption and minimal reputation for
embracing democratic principles. A combination of PRI political
domination and drug-lord rule on the streets would pose a disaster
for both our countries.

That's why it's important, despite all the other urgent issues
confronting Obama, that he pay close and constant attention to
developments across the border. When Washington lets its focus
stray, Mexico pays a dear price.