For the first week or two of reading I will post articles related to Mexico's elections and the drug war. Mexico is one of the first countries we will be studying and with the elections just over there is plenty of commentary. Don't worry if you feel overwhelmed by the gaps in your understanding of Mexico's elections system and history...we need to begin somewhere. Read the following articles over the next week. It would be worth taking a look at Mexico's election process (how congress and the president are elected)
http://www.economist.com/blogs/americasview/2012/07/mexicos-election?zid=309&ah=80dcf288b8561b012f603b9fd9577f0e
http://www.economist.com/node/21558285
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_MEXICO_ELECTIONS_DRUG_CARTELS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
