Who Holds the Reins of Power in Chaos? Military Involvement and the Emergence of a De Facto State of Exception in Mexico
Journal
Ratio Decidendi
ISSN
3061-760X
Publisher
Universidad Panamericana
Date Issued
2025-03-04
Author(s)
Torres-Checa, Daniel E.
Type
text::Non-primary product
Abstract
Mexico’s public security has been progressively moving towards militarization for at least eighteen years. The army’s participation, previously reserved for war and exceptional junctures, has normalized. This article critically reviews the military’s role in Mexico’s bloodshed and human rights crisis during the 2006-2024 period. I argue that the ongoing phenomenon has perpetuated the cycle of violence, threatened democratic standards, and severely impacted human rights. In this framework, I question whether the policy of militarization can be placed in the context of a de facto state of exception. My aim, in short, is to assess the ways in which militarization reinforces exceptionality and how they both signal a counter-phenomena to human rights.
License
Acceso Abierto
How to cite
Torres-Checa, D. E. (2025). ¿Quién tiene las riendas del poder en el caos? Participación militar y el surgimiento de un estado de excepción de facto en México. Ratio Decidendi, 1-23. https://doi.org/10.21555/rd.2025.3251
Table of contents
1. Introduction. -- 2. The State of Exception and its conceptual problems. -- 3. Chaos and human rights. -- 3.1. The rules of the game in emergency situations. -- 3.2. A brief review on exception. How does this concept play out in Mexico’s history? -- 4. Mexico’s violent context and the states armed response. -- 5. On the rough relation between militarization and human rights. -- 6. Militarization as exception: Unveiling Mexico’s scenario. -- 7. Conclusions. -- 8. Conclusions. -- 9. References