Obstacles

Mauricio Merino writes that Mexico's well intentioned, properly planned reforms too often run aground on the jagged shoals of entrenched special interests (I was explaining about metaphors and sensory imagery today in class; does it show?), especially the unions.

The country isn't trapped only by disagreements, but also by the fact that the implementation of the solutions that arise turns in an additional problem. When you look at the traps into which the already agreed-upon reforms have fallen, it's frightening to think that they are still lacking.

Fittingly, Excelsior ran a story yesterday about the roadblocks tripping up security reform in various states, now two weeks after the 75-point agreement was signed, and 85 days until the self-imposed deadline for reform legislation. This reflects a dilemma for security officials: Mexicans want change right now (witness Excelsior's and Imagen Radio's 100-day countdown), but reforming a nation's security policies and ensuring that 32 states with very different levels of development and standards of government are on the same page is a monumental task that maybe shouldn't have a 100-day timeline.