Thanks for the background , this was the bit that worried me.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/...

Is talk of civil war, or a threat to the state, alarmist?

The Mexican government vehemently rejects suggestions that Mexico is close to becoming a failed state. As yet, the violence does not appear to be having a significant effect on the economy and most of the country is functioning normally. Government ministers do, however, concede that the stakes are high. Economy Secretary Gerardo Ruiz Mateos recently said that if the cartels were not confronted, Mexico ran the risk of having