Naval War College

To enhance the Rule of Law, Mexico has attempted to significantly change its entire system of laws, by moving towards a more transparent justice system, more akin to the open adversarial system possessed by the United States than the closed inquisitorial system employed for most of the 20th century in Mexico. Unfortunately, these constitutional, legislative and professional reforms made to the Mexican justice system, while a step in the right direction, have not yet yielded the desired effect of vastly improving the Rule of Law. This work will analyze key areas of the Mexican justice system and compare them to internationally accepted standards relating to the Rule of Law. Next, this work will review recently enacted reforms to the Mexican justice system in order to determine whether these initiatives have had a significant effect on improving the system of justice in Mexico. Finally, this work will make recommendations on the way ahead for Mexico in its journey to obtain stability through adherence to the Rule of Law. Ultimately, it is this work's contention that the current efforts to reform Mexico's legal system have inadequately addressed the most significant issues relating to the establishment of a fair and just legal systemin Mexico.

Wargames provide unbelievable opportunities for learning. They pique the interest and passion of the casual tactician or historian and assist the professional military officer in operational planning and execution. Their capacity for imparting knowledge can either supplant or complement lectures. Wargames are a valuable tool for the molding of the professional military officer. During the interwar period the United States Naval War College (NWC) used wargames extensively as a method of teaching both history and current tactics to aspiring naval officers. The NWC believed in wargaming's value so much, an entire building was dedicated to conducting the curriculum's games. On the game floor wars against Great Britain and Japan were repeatedly fought, and the evolution of multiple war plans stemmed from the spirited debates and uncanny tactics the games generated. An entire generation of naval officer brought what they had learned from the NWC's wargames to the fleet. Wargames directly benefited the U. S. Navy's interwar Fleet Exercises. The exercises were the pinnacle of the fleet's annual training. The lessons learned in Newport were tested in conditions resembling war. Feedback from the exercises both validated and reputed Newport's theories and the war plans' requirements (which the exercises were built to test). World War II was the ultimate test of Newport's lessons. Battles at Savo Island in the Solomon Islands, Peleliu, and Samar in the Philippines pointed out strengths and weaknesses in the NWC's strategic and tactical curricula. Looking into how wargames (simulations) affected war (reality) can provide a model for future training opportunities, particularly in fiscally challenging times; the rising cost of fuel and maintenance of ships underway inspires alternative methods of education and preparation for war.

Piracy is increasing at an alarming rate in the Gulf of Aden and off the Somali coast. Piracy in the Strait of Malacca region once ran rampant, but has steadily declined since 2003. It seems useful to apply the counter-piracy tactics used in this region to the Gulf of Aden area to attempt a decline in pirate attacks. An attempt to apply the counter-piracy tactics used in the Malacca region to the Gulf of Aden region will fail. The Strait of Malacca littoral states all have well-functioning, established governments which give them the ability to apply the rest of their counter-piracy "formula" of state-sponsored naval forces, regional intelligence sharing, surface surveillance radars, a court system and fighting the origins of piracy on land. The governments in the Gulf of Aden region are too preoccupied with political or economic strife to deal with counter-piracy. Until governmental stability is achieved, few counter-piracy tactics will prevail. Foreign forces have come to the aid of the region. These forces are enforcing the applications of the formula to compensate for the inability of the weaker governments to do so. This is the short-term solution until governmental stability is achieved in the region, giving the indigenous states the ability to police their own waters and enforce their own laws. Recommendations include U. N. Security Council Resolutions or agreements with littoral states to pursue pirates in their territorial waters or in the pirate havens ashore, and coordinated planning between USAFRICOM and USCENTCOM for combining the land and sea counter-piracy tactics.