Up to today, since the Mexican government deployed the military in 2006 up to the present, Mexico has experienced close to 200,000 battle deaths. That's roughly the number of battle deaths that took place in the civil war in Guatemala. So, the 36 year old civil war in Guatemala that produced approximately 200,000 battle deaths. That's where Mexico is right now.Guillermo TrejoA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a brief primer on Mexican politics here.Guillermo Trejo is an Associate Professor at the University of Notre Dame. Sandra Ley is an Assistant Professor at CIDE’s Political Studies Division in Mexico City. They are the authors of Votes, Drugs, and Violence: The Political Logic of Criminal Wars in Mexico. Key Highlights IncludeA vivid description of the effects of the criminal wars in MexicoHow autocracy allows for the proliferation of organized crimeWhy Mexico remains an 'illiberal democracy'How polarization exacerbated criminal violence in MexicoThe importance of deeper degrees of democratizationKey LinksVotes, Drugs, and Violence: The Political Logic of Criminal Wars in Mexico by Guillermo Trejo and Sandra LeyFollow Guillermo Trejo on Twitter @Gtrejo29Follow Sandra Ley on Twitter @sjleygDemocracy Paradox PodcastMichael Miller on the Unexpected Paths to DemocratizationJames Loxton Explains Why Authoritarian Successor Parties Succeed in DemocraciesMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadoxFollow on Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on Democracy Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/demparadox)