>> >>PEGGY PICO: FOLLOWING THE ARREST OF FEARED ZEDA CARTEL LEADER, MIGUEL MORALES, QUESTIONS
PERSIST ABOUT MEXICO PRESIDENT ENRIQUE PENA NIETO'S STRATEGY.
RICARDO AINSLIE, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS PROFESSOR PSYCHOLOGIST, AND AUTHOR OF THE BOOK THE FLIGHT
TO SAVE JUAREZ, LIFE IN THE HEART OF MEXICO'S DRUG WAR.
LET'S START WITH THIS HIGH PROFILE ARREST.
WHAT DOES IT SAY TO YOU ABOUT MEXICO'S NEW STRATEGY IN THIS DRUG WAR?
>> >>RICARDO AINSLIE: WELL, PRESIDENT TRIED TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE KING PIN STRATEGY OF
HIS PREDECESSOR WHICH WAS TAKE DOWN THE HEADS OF THE CARTEL LEADERS AS A WAY OF TRYING TO
REDUCE THE VIOLENCE.
THAT STRATEGY DID NOT YIELD GOOD RESULTS IN TERMS OF REDUCING VIOLENCE.
>> >>PEGGY PICO: LOTS OF VIOLENCE ENSUED BECAUSE OF THAT.
>> >>RICARDO AINSLIE: ABSOLUTELY.
SO PEOPLE THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO TAKE A DIFFERENT DIRECTION.
ACTUALLY, I THINK WHAT HAPPENS HERE IS THAT WE SEE THAT STRATEGY CAN'T BE SET ASIDE ENTIRELY.
I MEAN, YOU HAVE THE HEAD MAN OF THE MOST FEARED CARTEL IN MEXICO IN YOUR SIGHTS YOU
HAVE TO ACT.
>> >>PEGGY PICO: WOULD YOU SAY THE KING PIN STRATEGY IS WORKING, THEN?
>> >>RICARDO AINSLIE: I'D SAY THE KING PIN STRATEGY IS UNAVOIDABLE AT LEAST IN PART.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT THERE ARE OTHER ISSUES THAT THAT DOESN'T TAKE CARE OF.
THESE CARTELS ARE ACTUALLY GROUPS OF ORGANIZED CRIME GROUPS AND THEY� YOU TAKE DOWN ONE
PERSON AND THERE'S FIVE, TEN PEOPLE WANTING TO TAKE THAT SLOT.
>> >>PEGGY PICO: OKAY.
TREVENO MORALES, HE WAS MONITORED BY US IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS BY A DRONE.
WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON USING DRONES ALONG THE BORDER OR EVEN CROSS THE BORDER?
>> >>RICARDO AINSLIE: I THINK THE ISSUE IS THE COOPERATION BETWEEN US INTELLIGENCE AND
MEXICAN AUTHORITIES, THAT'S THE CRITICAL ISSUE; WHETHER YOU'RE USING DRONES OR INFORMANTS
OR COMMUNICATIONS INTERCEPTIONS OR WHATEVER, THAT'S THE CRITICAL ISSUE.
I THINK TRULY BECAUSE BOTH COUNTRIES HAVE A STAKE IN WHAT'S GOING ON, YOU'RE NOT GOING
TO BE ABLE TO REMOVE THAT AND ACTUALLY A LOT OF THE KING PIN ARRESTS OR TAKE DOWNS HAVE
BEEN RELATED TO US INTELLIGENCE INPUT.
>> >>PEGGY PICO: INCLUDING THIS ONE Y UNDERSTAND.
THERE WAS A LOT OF INFORMATION GOING BACK AND FORTH.
LET'S MOVE ON TO YOUR BOOK, YOU TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT HOW THE DRUG WAR AFFECTS PEOPLE EVERY
DAY.
HOW DID YOU GET TO THIS VERY PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE?
>> >>RICARDO AINSLIE: I'M FROM MEXICO ORIGINALLY.
JUAREZ, WHEN I STARTED DOING MY WORK ON THIS BOOK, WAS THE EPICENTER OF THE DRUG WAR.
THEY HAD THE MOST VIOLENT CITIES IN AMERICA AT THE TIME, SOME PEOPLE SAID IN THE WORLD,
11,000 PEOPLE KILLED IN JUAREZ IN THE SPAN OF SIX YEARS.
THAT'S A LOT OF DEATHS, A LOT OF VICTIMS.
THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT DEPLOYED ABOUT A QUARTER OF ITS TROOPS, 20 TO 25% OF ITS TROOPS AND
FEDERAL POLICE TO JUAREZ.
IT WAS THE BATTLE GROUND FOR THE DRUG WAR.
I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON, HOW DOES THIS REALLY WORK.
WE ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THE WAR BETWEEN THE CARTEL SCENARIO, BUT REALLY WHAT'S TAKING
PLACE ON THE GROUND AND HOW IS THIS AFFECTING PEOPLE?
>> >>PEGGY PICO: SPECIFICALLY YOU WERE LOOKING AT HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS, RIGHT, THE MISTRESS
OF SOMEBODY IN THE DRUG CARTEL.
YOU GOT TO SOME VERY SPECIFIC PEOPLE.
>> >>RICARDO AINSLIE: RIGHT, THE FOUR MAIN CHARACTERS IN THE BOOK ARE THE MAYOR OF JUAREZ
AT THE TIME, HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST WHO WAS UNDER CONSTANT DEATH THREATS AS WAS THE MAYOR
I MIGHT SAY, THE MISTRESS OF A MIDLEVEL CARTEL JUAREZ CARTEL OPERATIVE� HE MOVED ABOUT
50 TO 70KILOS OF COCAINE EVERY TWO WEEKS ACROSS THE BORDER.
AND THEN LASTLY, A JUAREZ JOURNALIST.
THE JOURNALISTS IN MEXICO ARE HIGHLY VULNERABLE, MANY OF THEM HAVE BEEN KILLED.
>> >>PEGGY PICO: YES, AND THEY ARE THROUGHOUT MEXICO AND THE BORDER CITY.
YOU'RE A PSYCHOLOGIST, DID BEING A HELP YOU GET SOME RAW ANSWERS?
>> >>RICARDO AINSLIE: I THINK BECAUSE I DO SOME PATIENTS ON A REGULAR BASIS, I THINK
THAT STYLE OF ENGAGING PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE NOT JUST IN AND OUT, BUT YOU COME
REPEATEDLY.
IT TOOK ME ABOUT TWO YEARS OF GOING INTO JUAREZ ON A REGULAR BASIS TO DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS.
I THINK THAT OPENED UP A LOT OF DOORS.
>> >>PEGGY PICO: I WANT TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THEY CAN HEAR A LOT MORE FROM YOU.
PROFESSOR AND AUTHOR AINSLIE WILL SPEAK MORE AT THE INSTITUTE OF AMERICAS AND AGAIN SATURDAY
AFTERNOON AT THE BARNES AND NOBLE IN ENCINITAS.
YOU CAN GO TO OUR WEBSITE KPBS.ORG, RICARDO AINSLIE, THANKS SO MUCH FOR TALKTALKING US.
>> >>RICARDO AINSLIE: THANK YOU, PEGGY, IT WAS A PLEASURE.