The article discusses how transnational organized criminal groups operate in a country like Mexico, which has its own established patterns of official corruption, and the nature or function of the drug business in a particular country. The article reviews the history of recent drug trafficking in Mexico, the emergence of Mexico as a so-called narcodemocracy, and the failure of U.S. policymakers to confront the drug problem at its roots, by eliminating the power that drug traffickers hold in the governments of U.S. allies and neighbors. 3 figures and 50 notes