Mexico is currently suffering from the same sort of drug-related violence that plagued Colombia during the 1980s. Mexico and the United States can learn a great deal from Colombia's example, including that they must build law enforcement capacity and not rely solely on military force.

Mexican President Felipe Calderón's state visit to Washington could highlight immigration concerns at a time of growing cross-border partnership on Mexico's drug war, says CFR's Shannon O'Neil.

Shannon O'Neil discusses how Mexico and the United States are heading toward a new collaboration in tackling drug violence.

As Mexico continues to struggle with the effects of illegal activity within and along its border region, evidenced by dramatic growth in drug-related violence, join U.S. Representative Kay Granger for a congressional perspective on the status of U.S. security assistance to Mexico and policy options moving forward.

Listen to Representative Kay Granger (R-TX) give a congressional perspective on the status of U.S. security assistance to Mexico as it struggles with the effects of illegal activity within and along its border region.

A new shift in U.S.-Mexico security cooperation that focuses on border surveillance and the underpinnings of drug violence is a good long-term approach, but will require patience on both sides, says CFR Latin America expert Shannon O'Neil.

Listen to CFR's Shannon K. O'Neil discuss the challenges of ongoing drug violence in Mexico as part of CFR's State and Local Officials Conference Call series.

Learn more about CFR's State and Local Officials Initiative.

In Ciudad Juarez, where three people with connections to the U.S. consulate were killed over the weekend, it's local gangs rather than drug cartels that are spreading violence, says CFR's Shannon O'Neil. To fight them, part of what's needed is better law and police enforcement and better education.

The Afghan president is isolated and distrusted, and even if he is re-elected this month, that's not likely to change.

Hysteria over bloodshed in Mexico clouds the real challenge: the rising violence is a product of democratization -- and the only real solution is to continue strengthening Mexican democracy.

The Guatemalan president's alleged role in a recent murder there shows how Mexico's drug violence is infecting other parts of Latin America--and threatening to destabilize the entire region.

Joe Contreras, former Latin America bureau chief for Newsweek, says while Mexico and the United States step up engagement on battling drug traffickers, another priority--immigration reform--is unlikely to get top U.S. attention.

This article about La Familia, A Mexican syndicate and how it operates.

This editorial argues that "legalization is the least bad solution" to temper the effects of the drug trade on producer and consumer countries.

Brazen assassinations, kidnappings, and political intimidation by drug lords conjure up images of Colombia in the early 1990s. Yet today it is Mexico that is being engulfed by escalating violence, and U.S. gun laws, immigration rules, drug control and border policies all have exacerbated the problems.

We should focus instead on reducing harm to users and on tackling organized crime, authors Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Cesar Gaviria, and Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León argue.

A wide-ranging discussion with FBI Director Robert Mueller about the future of the organization he has tried to reshape since taking the helm in 2001. The event was moderated by Terence Moran of ABC's "Nightline."

Watch experts discuss U.S.-Mexico relations under the Obama administration, including ways to mitigate drug violence and improve immigration policy.