CHOOSE LABELS CAREFULLY

Re: "Let's call Mexico's Cartels what they are: terrorists," Friday Editorials.

The editorial should be better headed "Let's Call Mexico's cartels
what they are: very violent, well-financed transnational criminal
organizations."

These transnational criminal organizations, which operate in both our
countries, are not terrorist organizations. They are very violent
criminal groups that are well-structured and well-financed. They
pursue a single goal. They want to maximize their profits and do what
most business do: hostile takeovers and pursue mergers and
acquisitions. They use violence to protect their business from other
competitors as well as from our two governments' efforts to roll them
back. There is no political motivation or agenda whatsoever beyond
their attempt to defend their illegal business.

Misunderstanding the challenge we face leads to wrong policies and
bad policy making.

If you label these organizations as terrorist, you will have to start
calling drug consumers in the U.S. "financiers of terrorist
organizations" and gun dealers "providers of material support to
terrorists." Otherwise, you really sound as if you want to have your
cake and eat it too. That's why I would underscore that the editorial
page should be careful what it advocates for.

Arturo Sarukhan, Ambassador of Mexico to the U.S., Washington, D.C.