ABSTRACT
Mexico is seen as a paradise of corruption. Large corruption scandals, involving powerful government officials and other high-level politicians, are often aired in the press. Yet, things changed after the inauguration of Enrique Pena Nieto in 2012. Arguing that his predecessor had exacerbated drug violence by paying too much attention to it, Pena Nieto seemed determined to downplay the matter. Although the administration initiated its own joint operations and maintained many of those that were on course, it did so with obvious reluctance. Sensing this opportunity, some drug trafficking organizations scaled up their predatory attacks on uninvolved civilians. In reaction, many of the latter decided to create their own "self-defense" armed groups—some of them with the support of other drug trafficking organizations. The conflict subsided only when the federal government joined forces with the self-defense groups, eventually killing or capturing the leaders of the predatory Knight Templars "cartel."
