Title: Mexican Drug Cartels Are Violent — But They’re Not Terrorists - War on the Rocks
Headings: Mexican Drug Cartels Are Violent — But They’re Not Terrorists
Mexican Drug Cartels Are Violent — But They’re Not Terrorists
Scott Englund
Are Mexican Drug Cartels Terrorists, Insurgents, or Something Else?
Is the Distinction Important?
Labeling Cartels as “Terrorist Groups” Won’t Work

Content: Using such a designation as a predicate for U.S. military activity in Mexico would be, to say the least, unwelcome and ineffective. Though the cartels are violent organizations that pose a risk to U.S. interests, misapplying a terrorist organization designation would be a serious mistake. Are Mexican Drug Cartels Terrorists, Insurgents, or Something Else? Mexican drug cartels are not terrorists or insurgents because their goal is to maximize profit, not fundamentally change society and politics. The Secretary of State is directed to designate an entity a “foreign terrorist organization” if an organization engages in, or has the capacity and intent to engage in terrorist activity or terrorism that threatens the security of the United States or its nationals at home or abroad. In combination, the laws that direct the Secretary of State to make such a designation is pretty exhaustive. Titles 8 and 22 of the United States Code draw up a broad list of activities that count as “terrorist activity,” which includes hijacking, taking hostages, assassination, and using weapons with the intent to endanger lives or damage property. A “terrorist group” can consist of as few of two people, but just one of which has to actually participate in or provide support to terrorist activity. To “engage in terrorist activity,” can include participating in the foregoing, planning, gathering intelligence in support of, soliciting funds for, recruiting personnel, or providing logistical support for an act of terrorism. At the root of all this, the relevant U.S. legal definition of “terrorism” is “premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents.”