El Faro, an online newspaper in El Salvador, reported the truce was the result of a government deal with gangsters to stoptheviolence in exchange for better prison conditions and other favors, but the government denies that.
However, I do very much agree with Ms. Rosenthal about the existence of high crime rates in countries she mentioned, and also with Ms. Peters regarding the futility of good guys attempting to stopviolencewith guns (or with anything else) in societies where institutions have broken down.
Following the meeting, spokesman Robert Gibbs said that Mr. Obama pledged to find ways to work with Mexico to reduce drug-related violence and to stopthe flow of arms from the U.S. to Mexico.