The challenge of violent drug-trafficking organizations : an assessment of Mexican security based on existing RAND research on urban unrest, insurgency, and defense-sector reform / / Christopher Paul, Agnes Gereben Schaefer, Colin P. Clarke.

• Author: United States. Dept. of Defense. Office of the Secretary of Defense.; Paul, Christopher, 1971-
• TeilnehmendeR: Schaefer, Agnes Gereben.; Clarke, Colin P.; United States. Dept. of Defense.; National Defense Research Institute (U.S.)
• Year of Publication: 2011
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Rand Corporation monograph series The challenge of violent drug-trafficking organizations
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (109 p.)
• Notes: "Prepared for the Office of the Secretary of Defense."; "Rand National Defense Research Institute."; "This research was conducted within the International Security and Defense Policy Center of the RAND National Defense Research Institute"--Preface.

A RAND team conducted a Delphi expert elicitation exercise, the results of which offer an assessment of the contemporary security situation in Mexico through the lens of existing RAND research on urban instability and unrest, historical insurgencies, and defense-sector reform. Assessment scorecards from these projects were used to obtain input from the expert panel and to guide the resulting discussion.

Table of Contents

Cover; Title Page; Copyright; Preface; Contents; Figures and Tables; Summary; Acknowledgments; Abbreviations; Chapter One:Introduction; The Evolution of Mexican Drug-Trafficking Organizations; Origins of This Study; Urban Unrest and Instability; Counterinsurgency; Defense-Sector Reform; Labelling the Perpetrators and the Implications Thereof; Organization of This Monograph; Chapter Two:Methods and Approach: Applying Existing RAND Research Tools to Mexico; The Urban Flashpoints Scorecard; The Victory Has a Thousand Fathers Counterinsurgency Scorecard

The Defense Sector Assessment Rating Tool ScorecardThe Delphi Method for Expert Elicitation; Chapter Three:Results from the RAND Mexican Security Delphi Exercise; The RAND Mexican Security Delphi Exercise Process; Delphi-Derived Scores for the Three Scorecards; Delphi Discussion; Chapter Four:Findings from the Urban Flashpoints Scorecard; Mexico's Urban Flashpoints Vulnerability Score; Flashpoint Factors of Concern in Mexico; Flashpoint Factors for Which Concensus Was Lacking and Other Items of Interest from the Delphi Discussion; Chapter Five:Findings from the Counterinsurgency Scorecard

Is Mexico Like Historical Insurgencies?Mexico's Counterinsurgency Scorecard Score; Mexico in Comparison with 30 Historical Cases of Insurgency; Counterinsurgency Scorecard Factors for Which Consensus Was Lacking and Other Items of Interest from the Delphi Discussion; Chapter Six:Findings from the Defense Sector Assessment Rating Tool Scorecard; Assessment of Mexico's Counternarcotics Capabilities; Assessment of Mexico's Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency Capabilities; Assessment of Mexico's Border and Maritime Security Capabilities; Overall Findings

Chapter Seven:Conclusions and Suggestions for Further ResearchConclusions; For Future Research; Further Comparison; A Closer Examination of Mexico; A Systems Perspective; References