- No regrets: Merkel looks back at refugee crisis, Russia ties
- IPL history-maker, 13, who 'came on Earth to play cricket'
- Prosecutors seek up to 12-year terms for French rape trial defendants
- Laos hostel staff detained after backpackers' deaths
- Hong Kong LGBTQ advocate wins posthumous legal victory
- Rod Stewart to play Glastonbury legends slot
- Winter rains pile misery on war-torn Gaza's displaced
- 'Taiwan also has baseball': jubilant fans celebrate historic win
- Russia pummels Ukraine with 'record' drone barrage
- Paul Pogba blackmail trial set to open in Paris
- Landmine victims gather to protest US decision to supply Ukraine
- Indian rival royal factions clash outside palace
- Manga adaptation 'Drops of God' nets International Emmy Award
- Philippine VP denies assassination plot against Marcos
- Hong Kong's legal battles over LGBTQ rights: key dates
- US lawmakers warn Hong Kong becoming financial crime hub
- Compressed natural gas vehicles gain slow momentum in Nigeria
- As Arctic climate warms, even Santa runs short of snow
- Plastic pollution talks: the key sticking points
- Indonesia rejects Apple's $100 million investment offer
- Pakistan police fire tear gas, rubber bullets at pro-Khan supporters
- Hong Kong same-sex couples win housing, inheritance rights
- Indonesia digs out as flooding, landslide death toll hits 20
- Liverpool's old guard thriving despite uncertain futures
- Mbappe takes reins for Real Madrid in Liverpool clash
- As AI gets real, slow and steady wins the race
- China's Huawei to launch 'milestone' smartphone with homegrown OS
- Porzingis and Morant make triumphant NBA returns
- Hong Kong top court affirms housing, inheritance rights for same-sex couples
- Philippines, China clashes trigger money-making disinformation
- Most Asian markets drop, dollar gains as Trump fires tariff warning
- England 'not quivering' ahead of New Zealand Test challenge
- Bethell to bat at three on England Test debut against New Zealand
- Trump vows big tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China
- New Zealand and England to play for Crowe-Thorpe Trophy
- Scheffler, Schauffele and McIlroy up for PGA Player of the Year
- Trump to face less internal pushback in new term: ex-commerce chief
- Extreme weather threatens Canada's hydropower future
- More than 34,000 register as candidates for Mexico judges' election
- Australia ban cycling's Richardson for life after UK defection
- Internal displacement in Africa triples in 15 years: monitor
- 'Remarkable global progress': HIV cases and deaths declining
- Social media firms raise 'serious concerns' over Australian U-16 ban
- Tiger to skip Hero World Challenge after back surgery
- MLB shifts six 2025 Rays games to avoid weather issues
- US women's keeper Naeher retiring after Europe matches
- West Ham stun Newcastle to ease pressure on Lopetegui
- Arteta calls on Arsenal to show 'ruthless' streak on Champions League travels
- Israel bids emotional farewell to rabbi killed in UAE
- Sonar image was rock formation, not Amelia Earhart plane: explorer
US envoy says Mexico's 'hugs not bullets' strategy failed
The "hugs not bullets" security strategy introduced by Mexico's former president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to tackle criminal violence at its roots failed, US ambassador Ken Salazar said Wednesday.
In unusually blunt remarks, the diplomat, who was appointed by outgoing US President Joe Biden in 2021, said Mexico faced a "very serious" security problem.
While crime prevention was a valid concept, "the hugs not bullets strategy did not work," Salazar told a press conference where he was asked about the efforts of Lopez Obrador and his successor President Claudia Sheinbaum to address crime through social policy.
"This is a very serious problem for Mexico, and saying there's no problem or blaming others, blaming the United States... is not what's needed to achieve security," he said.
In September, Lopez Obrador said that the United States shared blame for cartel infighting that erupted following the dramatic July arrest on US soil of Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.
The "hugs not bullets" policy, launched by Lopez Obrador after he became president in 2018, prioritized grants, scholarships and other measures to deter young Mexicans from turning to crime.
The veteran leftist, who was replaced by Sheinbaum on October 1, "closed the door" to collaboration with the United States on security, which meant that Mexico missed out on around $32 million in assistance, Salazar said.
Sheinbaum, a former Mexico City mayor and the country's first woman president, has ruled out declaring "war" on drug cartels.
Although she avoids using the "hugs not bullets" slogan, she has pledged to continue her predecessor's strategy of addressing the root causes of crime, while also making better use of intelligence.
Spiraling criminal violence, much of it linked to drug trafficking and gangs, has seen more than 450,000 people murdered across Mexico since 2006.
C.Amaral--PC