In much the same way the United States has targeted individuals connected to regimes like Iran, we ought to target the Mexican elites who do business with the cartels. They depend on access to our institutions for banking, health care and the education of their family members. They hold significant assets in the United States. All this can be taken away.

In his 2011 book, “Mañana Forever,” former Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castañeda makes clear that to understand Mexican history, you must realize that the Mexican people lack the rule-of-law and civil-society networks that are crucial to self-government.

Instead of the lateral social bonds so crucial to the success of the United States, in Mexico bonds are formed upward and downward, creating a patronage society that fosters corruption and invests power in the elite.

The situation requires motivating the Mexican elites to reverse course and fight the cartels, as the Mexican people deserve. In the absence of such motivation, nothing will change.