Internationally recognized experts from the academic and think-tank communities in the United States, Mexico, and Canada consider the origins of the current crisis in Mexico, and the nature and effectiveness of the Calderón government¿s response, through the lens of Joel Migdal¿s concept of "the state in society."

1: The State and Security in Mexico: Crisis and Transformation in Regional Perspective, Brian Bow and Arturo Santa-Cruz 2: The Geopolitics of Insecurity in Mexico-United States Relations, Raúl Benítez Manaut 3: Militarization in Mexico and Its Implications, Arturo C. Sotomayor 4: Security and Human Rights in the Framework of Mexico¿s "War on Drugs," Alejandro Anaya Muñoz 5: Beyond Mérida?: The Evolution of the US Response to Mexico¿s Security Crisis, Brian Bow 6: Security Implications of Drug Legalization in the U.S. and Mexico, Craig A. Deare 7: A New Drug Warrior?: Canadäs Security Policy towards Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, Jean Daudelin 8: Canadäs North America Strategy, JenniferJeffs 9: Why North American Regional Security Cooperation Won¿t Work, Athanasios Hristoulas 10: Mexico¿s Place in Regional and Global Security: Toward a North American Security "Imaginary"?, David G. Haglund 11: Conclusions: Multiple Challenges, Multiple Regions, Multiple Perspectives, Brian Bow and Arturo Santa-Cruz