U.S. military says Mexico could implode

The U.S. Joint Forces Command says Mexico is one of two countries that “bear consideration for a rapid and sudden collapse.”

The other one? Pakistan, which should be of no surprise; our intelligence apparatus downgrades the control that Pakistan’s central government has on a daily basis.

Back to Mexico, though, and a more detailed take from the military:

“The Mexican possibility may seem less likely, but the government, its politicians, police and judicial infrastructure are all under sustained assault and press by criminal gangs and drug cartels. How that internal conflict turns out over the next several years will have a major impact on the stability of the Mexican state. Any descent by Mexico into chaos would demand an American response based on the serious implications for homeland security alone.”

Don’t expect Mexican President Felipe Calderon to share anything like this assessment.