The Role of Religion in the Mexican Drug War

The Global War on Terror has highlighted the importance of understanding the cultural aspects of the operational environment. One of those critical cultural aspects is religion: the role religion plays in society generally, how religion relates to both the protagonists and antagonists in the conflict, and how religion fuels or tempers the fight. With regard to the violent drug war ongoing in Mexico there is the question of the role that religion plays in combating the drug cartels and/or drug-related violence in Mexico. After careful study the inescapable conclusion is that religion is a growing battleground in this fight. Religion permeates Mexican society. Religion has already become a front in the war between the drug cartels and society, and while religion will not be the critical factor in winning the war, it is an important battleground in the war against the drug cartels.