War zone or post-national paradise?

In this blog article, Jordana Timerman explains her views on the border between Mexico and the United States. She explains that the images of people shot to death, gunmen wearing bullet-proof vests make up evidence that the border is an all out war zone. Apparently, officials from both the United States and Mexico have been thinking about rethinking the border between these two countries. Many illegal drugs pass from Mexico to the United States, and certain groups wish to target the passage of these illegal drugs on both sides of the border. They propose to ban assault weapons, and focus more on finding and preventing the smuggling of arms and illicit drugs. These groups also propose to reform the immigration laws in the United States, and that Mexico start taking illegal immigration as a serious issue. Timerman also informs us that, since there's been talk about electric fences and vigilantes, these ideas sound pretty good.

This article suggests that the problems on the border go both ways. The United States should re-think it's border plan, but Mexico should take illegal immigration seriously. However, illegal immigration doesn't only affect population growth. Illegal drugs can be passed over the border, affecting the health and safety of millions of people, if the drugs get around. The fact that people are shot to death at the border signifies that there needs to be significantly more communication between the Unites States and Mexico. Zooming out, this shows that lives can be saved with just better communication.

If Louis XVI communicated more with his people, many lives would have been saved. If he listened to them, he would not have died at the guillotine. The tons of people who died during the reign of Terror would have been able to live full lives until their natural deaths. Also, the people's living conditions would have improved immensely, making people lives longer and happier. All this could have happened with a little communication...