Jesus Alcazar

Mexico: Although Mexico, a developed state with a robust middle class, has long battled narcotics smuggling and the violence that comes with it, the recent spike in drug-related deaths has many observers worried about the country's trajectory. The number of people who have died in Mexico from drug-related violence since January 2007 -- some 10,000 -- exceeds the number of U.S. soldiers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite President Felipe Calderón's redoubled efforts to crack down on drug gangs, border cities such as Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez, which serve as major transshipment hubs for cocaine and marijuana, have become cauldrons of violence. Above stands a drug treatment center in Ciudad Juárez, where at least 18 people were killed and five wounded during a drug-related incident on Aug. 2, 2009.