Research on Terrorism Research Proposal

Terrorist Threat to California through Mexican Drug Trafficking

The immigration challenges across all the United States borders often invoke varied responses from both the average citizens and the law enforcement agencies. The cross border migration that has been of greatest concern is the Mexico to USA migration due to the myriad challenges this migration presents to the U.S.A. The Mexican population residing to the South of the U.S. has had a strained relationship with its northern neighbor over a long period of time owing to the inconsistency of its immigration policies, the distinctly lower socioeconomic status afforded to Mexicans on both sides of the border and the ravages afflicted upon both sides of the border by the U.S. sponsored War on Drugs. Though all of these aforementioned factors are relevant, it is the war on drugs that forms the central concern of this research proposal since it has proven persistent and causes disturbance and instability to the livelihoods of the residents of the affected areas in the social, economic and political aspect of it as will further be explain herein.

The War on Drugs unfolds in violent, chaotic and horrific ways in Mexico, the conditions of the war come to parallel ever more closely the concerns which have driven the War on Terror. The research intended hereafter would examine the issue of Mexico's drug trade as it constitutes a security threat to the state of California, identifying narco-terrorism, underground drug and arms trade, illegal immigration and gang violence all as forms of terrorism correlated to the War on Drugs.

Background:

California and Mexico have a deeply entwined history dating back to the territory wars between the United States and Mexico in the 19th Century. Today, the shared border between them has invoked a number of formative conditions which have molded ethnic, political and social realities. Such realities are deeply problematic at present, constituting nothing less than one of the greatest security threats present to the United States. A form of terrorism provoked by the drug trade and the War on Drugs carries with it a looming threat for residents of the state of California, who have seen acts of gruesome narco-terrorism, activities of violent street gangs and the presence of underground economies flourish under current drug and immigration policies.

There is a clamoring demand from parties of all political affiliations to make a dramatic change in areas related to the narco-terrorism and the perpetrating factors. However, there is also considerable ideological divide on how best to address these concerns, with wide differences separating individuals on the subjects of drugs, immigration and border security. The War on Terror has only served to highlight the failures thus far in addressing these three areas mentioned, with new awareness of America's vulnerabilities leaving a glaring spotlight on the porous nature of the Mexican-Californian border and the opportunities which this has continued to present to the drug trade and the purveyors of related violence.

Research Questions:

The research project here intended will consider various aspects of the relationship between Mexico and the United States in order to understand how the terrorist threat provoked by the drug trade and the drug war represents a security concern to the state of California. In order to do so, it will be guided by a primary research question and stewarded by a host of sub-questions.

The primary research question asks the following:

To what extent does the relationship between the United States and Mexico stimulate terrorism related to the drug trade across California's border?

This research question is girded by a set of sub-questions which are designed to drive the research toward topics of importance that might shed light on the process of addressing the primary research question. The following questions should contribute to the effectiveness and thoroughness of the research conducted:

In what ways has the U.S. immigration policy succeeded or failed in addressing issues relating to illegal immigration and immigration status?

What relationship do these immigration successes or failures have with the War on Drugs?

What aspects of the War on Drugs have contributed to the spread of narco-terrorism and gang warfare on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border?

What aspects of the War on Drugs have served to prevent the spread of narco-terrorism and gang warfare on both sides of the border?

What are some of geographical, ethnic and political realities that make California a major front in both the War on Drugs and the War on Terror?

What impact do issues as border security, globalization, socioeconomic status and labor policy have on the prevalence of the drug trade?

What opportunities are available to California to confront such security threats as gang-violence, narco-terrorism, and proliferation of illegal drugs and the border smuggling of aliens, arms and drugs?

Research Objectives:

The questions identified here above point the research toward the objective of deconstructing the full security outlook and scenario for California as a result of border issues with Mexico.

The main objective will be to critically evaluate the full scope of the relationship (social, economic and political) between California and Mexico owing to the shared border and shared ethnic makeup between these two regions and how these contribute to the crime and possibility of terrorism within this region and further into the U.S.A.

The research objective feeds into the larger purpose of promoting suitable recommendations for the state of California with respect to the nature of the security threat promoting by illegal immigration and the drug trade in concert with one another.

Central Thesis:

The drug trade and the War on Drugs have together created a terror threat to the state of California by exacerbating economic problems, failing to stabilize immigration and border policies and taking a misguided approach to stemming the trafficking of illegal drugs. In order to prove this thesis, the research project will draw a correlation between all of these areas of consideration. This should also help to make the recommendations sought in the 'Research Objective' section more self-evident as well.

Methodology:

Ironically, though the problem of the illegal drug trade remains both pressing and expanding, there are volumes of research available to draw these connections cited in the thesis and to present the case that the War on Drugs and immigration policies are related and categorical failures. The research here is designed to synthesize the information which is available to us to draw these conclusions and use it to seek out useful recommendations. These will be lent insight by those failures which the research will make plainly evident.

Therefore, the methodology will be grounded mainly in literature reviews. A thorough literature review will be centered on the process of identifying valid sources concerning the relationship between California and Mexico as it centers on such subjects as immigration, both legal and illegal, counterterrorism, border security, globalization and labor markets, socioeconomic realities for Mexicans on both sides of the border, gang violence, narco-terrorism and political corruption and the host of implications concerning the nature of the War on Drugs as well as the manner in which it has been carried out.

The literature review will produce the opportunity for a thorough analysis in which connections are drawn between all of these conditions and the threat of terrorism to the state of California. There will also be a comparative look at the policies guiding the trade and immigration across the California-Mexican border at the local level and the federal level and the implementation of these policies to see if these policies work in tandem to ensure tight security and controlled terror activities.

The methodology will also evaluate various legal suits that have been commenced in relation to the illegal cross-border migration to shed light on how the judiciary assists in the fight against terrorism within this region. The economic trends and data within California will also be evaluated through a look at the available data from the relevant government agencies to have a clear picture of the economic effects of the immigration into California and how this might be related to terrorism and crime in the region.

Conclusion:

The proposed research endeavor should ultimately comprise a valuable introductory discussion to the subject of reconsidering and reforming current policies in terms of the War on Drugs, the War on Terror and Mexican Immigration. This is to be taken by this reconsideration and reformation will be revealed by the implementation of the proposed study.

Proposed Sources:

Astorga, L. (2003). Drug Trafficking in Mexico: A First General Assessment. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Online at http://www.unesco.org/most/astorga.htm

DeMelo, D. (2005). Merton's Strain Theory. Criminological Theory. Online at < http://home.comcast.net/~ddemelo/crime/mert_strain.html>

Imperial Valley News (IVN). (2008). Mexican Drug-Trafficking Organization Members Indicted in Operation Money Train. Imperial Valley News.

Jeffrey, T.P. (2009). Drug Cartels Control Crossings. The Washington Times.

Kouri, J. (2007). Illegal Alien Gang Violence. Law Enforcement Examiner.

Malet, D.S. (2006). Warriors Without Borders: Systems Theory, Terrorism, and the Rejection of Westphalia. Annual meeting of the International Studies Association, Town & Country Resort and Convention Center. Online at…