If Mexico and America used the same firepower on the cartels, that they do on the middle east, cartels would be a thing of the past.

It is changing. Not as fast as almost every Mexican would want it to, but it is clearly changing for good if you take a look at the numbers.

The answer is racism.

I agree on your comment about the current situation. It is very violent. Either it’s getting more reporting than previous years or it actually is as bad as it seems. But I might be misunderstanding the tone of your comment here, it reads very apologetic of the current government to me:

It really sounds like another article trying to tie our president with the organized crime, something that has been shyly thrown at the average citizen several times now.

Maybe because it’s true? As another mexican, I have absolutely no doubt the government is working with cartels in different regions in exchange of more control, both ways. And I’m not saying it happened just in this administration, it’s been happening for at least 20 years.

My take is that some regions where the government wants bigger control are currently controlled by rival cartels where the government currently has bigger control in.

I also find it a bit cynical so write that this fact is being “shyly thrown around”, why are there so many articles about it then? The current president –the face of the government– had been seen multiple times visiting el Chapo’s mom. Very shy of him.

Is the president having dinner with El Chapo's mom enough evidence for you? It might not be straight up evidence but it does point towards it

I don't know enough about the situation to make an informed opinion, but let's make a hypothetical:

A government regime cannot be complicit in crimes because if they were then an investigation would have found them complicit in crimes?

That sounds insane. That sounds like a crazy person's opinion. These deaths and kidnappings aren't natural. Who stands to benefit from all of this? The answer from where I'm standing seems pretty clear.

The question is- is it more or less of a democracy then when it was a one-party state for most of the 20th century?

I checked the wikipedia list and Jesus is just about the only candidate name that hasn't been murdered.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_politicians_killed_during_Mexican_elections

Should be recalled that Trump supporters attempted to run Joe Biden's campaign bus off the road during her visit to Texas. This resulted in Democrats cancelling three events in the Lone Star State.

And don't forget Gabby Giffords, an Arizona Congresswoman who was shot in the head by a mentally handicapped man who'd been juiced up on pro-gun rhetoric and unleashed on the crowd.

Finally, I'm forced to remind you of the NYPD disappearing BLM activists for days at a time during the COVID lockdown. Activists were forced into densely populated prison cells after being stripped of masks and other protective clothing. This, alongside mysterious deaths of Ferguson activists in the weeks following the 2014 marches. The police response to the Black Lives movement is strongly reminiscent of the current campus police response to Palestinian peace activists.

I should note that the Mexican Center-Right party PAN is currently whipping support among Mexican expat voters in an effort to oust ALMO and replace him with a reactionary more in line with Trumpian Foreign Policy goals south of the border.

Not that there would be any overlap between violence in a Latin American nation and American political reactionary activity, of course. No history of that ever occurring.

They were and probably are. Which is why Mexico has these problems.

Not really surprising if you think about it. No oil, fierce competition from violent drug cartels that would fight back, and Mexican immigrants have been painted as an enemy for so long that there's no sympathy for their troubles.

Basically, the US has a lot to lose & not much to gain.