NMSU talk to discuss security issues in the borderland
New Mexico State University is presenting a talk on security in the U.S.-Mexico borderland at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, at the Nason House, 1070 University Ave.
NMSU's Center for Latin American and Border Studies, Department of Government and Office of International and Border Programs are sponsoring the event.
"The drug war in Mexico has caused terrible suffering and damage to the population," said Neil Harvey, head of the NMSU Department of Government. "Laura Carlsen and Araceli Rodriguez will provide a much needed perspective on the causes and consequences of drug-trafficking, government policies, U.S.-Mexico relations, how people are organizing to bring about change and alternative policies."
Laura Carlsen, a Mexico City-based journalist and analyst, and Araceli Rodriguez, a Mexican peace activist, will be discussing many of the security issues afflicting the borderland. The pair will talk about Mexico's war on drugs and militarization of the border region. They will examine the ground results of the money the U.S. government has spent on programs and the possible impact on safety in the area.
Carlsen is the director of the Americas Program in Mexico City, a foreign policy think tank associated with the Center for International Policy. She has a master's degree in Latin American Studies from Stanford University and has written extensively on security policy and the drug war, the Merida Initiative, border militarization and violence. She is a writer and editor of the Americas Updater.
Rodriguez's 24-year old son, Luis Angel, disappeared in November 2009 in the Mexican state of Michoacan. Since losing her son, Rodriguez has become a committed activist and a leader of Mexico's Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information visit clabs.nmsu.edu.
