Obama and the Mexican Army Abuses

Denise Dresser makes a good case for Obama pressuring Calderón on rights abuses in today's LA Times, acknowledging the president's successes, but pointing out that they come at the expense of human rights:

The war on drugs is turning into a war on the civilian population that can't simply be dismissed as collateral damage. Mexico's military is capturing "capos," but it's also raping, extracting confessions through torture and detaining people arbitrarily. Crime is begetting more crime.

She goes on to say that Obama should withold Mérida money absent some pledges from Calderón: 

Until Mexico makes real progress where human rights are concerned, the U.S. Congress should withhold future funding for the Merida Initiative. Unless Calderon agrees to place military officials who violate human rights under the jurisdiction of civilian courts, U.S. support will perpetuate the status quo.

This is a tricky stance, because it puts the relationship with the Calderón government at risk (although the risk could be mitigated somewhat if Obama handles the issue quietly), and puts the US in the position of bullying an ally on its internal affairs (albeit in the service of a good cause). Furthermore, if Calderón calls our bluff, the issue becomes fodder for Mexican nationalists, and the Mérida Initiative comes to a crashing halt, the US will throw away any ability it presently has to influence Mexico's military. At the same time, with violations on the rise and the army playing what appears to be a long-term role in fighting organized crime, the US shouldn't be pledging billions to a support a decade of increased abuse and impunity. If he brings it up, I think Obama should treat this not only as a human rights issue, which makes the US come off as a hypocritical scold, but an issue of effectiveness: Mexican soldiers will be better crime-fighters if they are constrained by some semblance of law and order.