Foreign Policy's Robert Haddick takes a look at the threat represented by Los Zetas
Los Zetas and other such transnational private military forces may be much more dangerous to stability and legitimate governance than al Qaeda or religion-inspired terror groups. The multi-billion-dollar drug-smuggling business seems to buy far more military capability, foot soldiers, high and low-level government officials, and neighborhood support than religious exhortation does. It is easy to organize against al Qaeda's highly unpopular vision of society. For Los Zetas, it's business, not political -- there can be a cut of the action for everyone. That might make Los Zetas and their private military cousins the more insidious threat to legitimate governance.
It's a valid point. There's a limit - even within Muslim-dominated territory - to how extreme Islamist terror organizations can get before they really get push back from the population. Los Zetas and similar organizations, that are business-oriented, are an altogether different threat.
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