"Do you believe Mexico is so corrupt and lawless that it could not be Americanized with a little stewardship?"
I believe that, YES!
Iraq has seen the terrors of toltolitarianism, they are much more likely to embrace democracy that Mexico.
Bribery is rampant, and it circumvents every aspect of effective government. Mexico is a culture that expects and rewards bribery.
Its the PEOPLE that need a change, not the government! And buying out the government does nothing to change the people.
There going to have to reap what they have sown and fix things themselves. Thats tough love.
In the mean time...BUILD THE FENCE!
Bribery is rampant because the government is bureaucratic totalitarian. It is terribly inefficient totalism but totalitarian nonetheless. To do anything in Mexico, set up a business, whateveer, requires the approval of many different bureaucrats. As we see developing here, the more the government is who to go to to be allowed to do something the more is bribery necessary for anything to happen at all.The more regulation the more corruption. It is inherent in the concept.
I have posted arguments in favor of annexation for a couple of years now. The way I would see it happening is that either individual Mexican states or the entire country can vote to become a US territory with the goal of eventual statehood. Because once a state enters the union, it is equal to all other states, the period of being a territory would be used to normalize the economy and legal framework with the US laws. People in the territories could move freely into any other state, and people in the states can move into the territories, own property, hire employees, etc. This would begin the normalization of the income and employment gap. After the incomes are higher in the territories, and the political framework is revised, then it can be admitted as a state, with full voting rights as a state, and for its citizens.
I don't actually think this will happen, because of the nationalism of the Mexicans, but I think this is the solution we should push for anyway. If it works, we can expand our size to be more comparable in size to China and India, and increase our economy greatly.
But even if it doesn't fly, it is great political leverage against the government of Mexico. Right now, immigration is a release valve for the politicians who cannot or will not raise the standard of living for all Mexicans. If we block illegal immigration with strict border control, and at the same time offer statehood to the Mexican citizens, the release valve is on the side of the citizens; it becomes the threat of voting in a pro-statehood government. The Mexican government will then be forced to improve their standard of living, or be replaced with a pro-statehood government by the unhappy Mexicans. This is leverage we Americans or the average Mexican doesn't currently have.