Drug war

Mexico is locked into a brutal fight against the drug gangs that threaten to destroy the country.

President Felipe Calderon tried to rally the support of weary Mexicans for the cause in his annual state of the nation address last Thursday.

On the plus side, the government said it has brought down the third major drug chieftain in less than a year.

On the negative side, gangs massacred 72 migrants not far from the U.S. border two weeks ago.

"I am well aware that over the past year, violence has worsened," President Calderon told the nation. "But we must battle on."

Beginning in 2006, tens of thousands of soldiers and federal police were deployed throughout the country to break up the cartels. The war has become more violent. Drug cartels have used tactics not previously seen in Mexico such as car bombings. Beheadings have become common.

But the president said that authorities have made 34,515 drug-related arrests in the past year, including Edgar Valdez Villarreal, known as "La Barbie," who is a wanted man in three U.S. states and has waged a bloody battle with a rival in central Mexico.

Mr. Calderon has an answer to those who would give up the fight. "If we want a safe Mexico for the Mexicans of the future, we must take on the cost of achieving it today," he said.

The next step is to improve the conviction rate of the suspects arrested for drug-related crimes.

The stakes are high, too, for the United States, which supports the Mexican government's battle to regain control of its country.