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Regional secretary with the National Education Union
The military and public order in Mexico
Corruption in law enforcement and the judiciary is widespread in Mexico – and tackling the problem has proven a challenge for President Amlo. DAVID RABY explains the difficulties
National Guard all-women unit at the annual Independence Day military parade in the capital’s main square, the Zocalo, last Friday

PRESIDENT Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in Mexico has surprised many by allying closely with the military and making them a key instrument of his agenda of social justice and democratic transformation.

Where liberals and human rights activists saw the military as inherently repressive and corrupt, Amlo has insisted on their popular revolutionary origins, professional discipline and capacity to overcome violent crime. 

Before he took office the military were constitutionally forbidden from intervening in matters of public order, but corrupt presidents (contemptuous of the law in all respects) often ordered them to do so anyway, causing numerous innocent civilian casualties. 

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