[lechiffre10]

You clearly have no idea what you're talking about. How's the US military holding up against fighters in Afghanistan or Iraq? Guerilla style warfare has always been a problem for the United States. Case in point, Vietnam. Now throw the Cartel into the mix with the funding they have and you'd have a much bigger problem at hand. "They fare extremely poorly against the Mexican military." Show proof of this statement? Ever since the Mexican government announced the war on drugs and deployed the military violence is at its highest in recent years and the rise of even more sophisticated Cartels with actual military training has risen. You should stop watching Hollywood movies.

[dang]

Incivility will get you banned here, regardless of whether another comment is wrong. Please don't post like this again.

If you'd review the rules at https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and post only civilly and substantively from now on, we'd appreciate it.

[DoubleCribble]

There is a huge gulf (ocean) in motivation between trying to bring "democracy" to third world countries and an attack on the country's doorstep. When only 1 DEA agent was murdered in Mexico, it provoked an enormous response.[0]

There's a great line at the end of Tora! Tora! Tora! from Admiral Yamamoto that would undoubtedly apply in such a scenario, "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiki_Camarena

[2_listerine_pls]

The reason the US can't stop them has nothing to do with guerrilla warfare. The CIA dictates the policy and the military follows it. Their policies are ineffective because they are interested in delaying the war.

[mamon]

I think the issue can be explained without conspiracy theories. US military can't win against guerrilla, because US public cares about their image as the "good guys". And to be good guys you have to avoid any civilian casualties, which significantly raises the difficulty of all military operations.

The war against ISIS in Syria is a good example: Americans struggled for years, and then Russians came and pretty much ended the whole thing in 3 months. How? By bombarding civilians, including the hospitals, and (allegedly) using chemical weapons.

So, US have no problem winning the fight against guerillas, other than its own restraint.