From U.S. News:
The chaotic battle among rival drug cartels and a Mexican government desperate to quash the violence has raged on for nearly five years. And though the Mexican Drug War receives more media attention than some other global conflicts, "it's so much worse than it's portrayed inside the U.S.," says Steven Weber, professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley..... Equally troubling is that the United States is adding fuel to the fire, says Patrick Morgan, professor of political science at UC Irvine's School of Social Sciences. "The really bad part is that we're involved in it in two huge ways: one is, of course, that the drugs are coming through Mexico to get to us. And most of the arms are going there from us." Though arms smuggling over the border had been a persistent problem, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives came under fire over "Operation Fast and Furious" this March, when it was revealed that ATF agents allowed guns to cross into Mexico, in order to track those firearms.

For the full story, please visit http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2011/05/12/3-ongoing-conflicts-you-m....