http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...ryId=125427225

"...Bowden lays the blame at the hands of, among other things, the North American Free Trade Agreement, U.S. policies and the election in 2006 of Mexican President Felipe Calderon.Bowden says thousands of Mexicans have been affected since Calderon's election and his decision to attack the drug industry. In 2007, he says, there were 307 homicides in Juarez; in 2008, 1,600; 2,600 in 2009. The homicide rate so far this year exceeds last year's, Bowden says.
Still, he says, there are other contributing factors.
"Juarez rolled along for years merrily building factories that paid wages you can't literally live on," Bowden says. "And I think eventually, among other things, the chickens come home to roost, and this drug war was just the frosting on the cake..."