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p-e-w 5 hours ago

This is the answer. The cartels would have to be insane to poke that particular bear. They would get crushed like a bug. IIRC they murdered a single US undercover officer in the 90s and the retaliation was so bad that they themselves handed over the perpetrators.

ChrisMarshallNY 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> They would get crushed like a bug.

Much as I despise them, I'm not so sure that would be the case. I seem to remember folks saying the same about the Taliban, and the cartels have a lot more money and high-tech kit, than the Taliban.

Asymmetric warfare is a tough gig, on all sides.

janalsncm 3 hours ago | parent [-]

I don’t think the technology matters nearly as much as the asymmetry. Iraq had better technology than the Taliban and their military didn’t last a week.

ChrisMarshallNY 2 hours ago | parent [-]

True enough, but the cartels are also experts at running what is basically guerrilla warfare, against each other. Not sure if the Mexican Army has ever tried to take them on. A lot of cartel soldiers come from the army.

BoredPositron 5 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

You are right rationality is their strongest character trait.

542354234235 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

How are they not rational? Violence is a tool. They operate an illegal business so they can’t sue other parties for breach of contract. They can't call the police if they are robbed or file an insurance claim for what was taken. Even the over-the-top violence has a rationale. They aren't punishing the victims as much as they are attempting to broadcast that there is a higher price to be paid than any gain from giving information, to reduce their future losses and enforcement efforts. It isn’t moral or ethical, but I wouldn’t say it is irrational.

mikkupikku 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Lots of organized crime around the world manages to operate without cutting all the limbs off somebody then arranging them like flowers in a "vase" made out of the poor soul's ribcage. The cartels take violence far beyond what is pragmatically necessary. Their system of crime breeds excessive violence and insanity.

AlotOfReading an hour ago | parent | next [-]

This stuff mostly followed after the zetas. It was a very deliberate strategy to compete in a hostile landscape that others eventually copied to survive.

xkcd-sucks an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

Marketing, if you don't know the answer it's always marketing

coolhand2120 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

> How are they not rational?

It's the meth.

the_sleaze_ 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

The cartels are incredibly rational - what they lack are morals and ethics

colechristensen 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

It's a business not an ideology.

KPGv2 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Do you have much evidence of them behaving irrationally?

mmh0000 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I would recommend reading the Freakinomics book or listen to their podcasts on drugs.

TL;DR: drug cartels are run like businesses. They are very rational. But, unlike your boss, their boss can also shoot you in the face if you annoy them too much