Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano speaks to CNN's Kiran Chetry about drug violence in Mexico.

President Obama makes his first trip to Mexico today as drug violence continues to plague the border between the U.S. and Mexico. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will be with the president on his visit. She joined Kiran Chetry on CNN’s American Morning Thursday.

Kiran Chetry: We heard from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who said America's insatiable demand for drugs is in part fueling the drug wars. Do you think we're partly to blame for the violence we've been seeing along the border?

Janet Napolitano: Well, there certainly is a relationship. You can't deny it. These are huge drug cartels that have developed over time. They're very violent. Witness the fact that there were over 6,000 homicides in northern Mexico last year including 550 that were assassinations of law enforcement or public officials in Mexico. What we're working to do, is to work to stop the flow of guns and cash in to Mexico that are helping fuel these cartels. But also, we're working at the border to make sure that the spillover violence doesn't occur in our own cities and communities.

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John Ackerman of the Mexican Law Review speaks to CNN's Kiran Chetry about drug violence in Mexico.

President Obama is headed to Mexico today and will be meeting with Mexico’s president, Felipe Calderon. The president will share his vision about what it will take to tackle the drug cartels to combat deadly violence that’s spilling over the border.

John Ackerman is editor-in-chief of the Mexican Law Review and lives in Mexico City. Ackerman spoke to Kiran Chetry on CNN’s American Morning Thursday.

Kiran Chetry: As President Obama gets ready to meet with Mexican President Calderon, what guarantees do we need to give to Mexico first of all?

John Ackerman: I think President Obama should be very aware of the situation that’s occurring here in Mexico, in terms of the serious politicizing that is happening with regards to the combating of the drug traffickers. Calderon has been very much emphasizing the military aspects of the combating of the drug traffickers, which I think is a mistake. We really need to think about institution building and changing the focus of the strategy of the attack on the drug traffickers. Obama should be aware of this. It's very easy to talk about the war on drugs. But it’s also very dangerous because there have been serious attacks on human rights and there hasn’t been enough done in terms of combating corruption in Mexico.

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Former Mexican president Vicente Fox speaks to CNN's John Roberts about drug violence across the border.

Mexico is not in danger of becoming a failed narco-state any time soon.

That’s according to Vicente Fox, the former President of Mexico, who spoke with us on the eve of President Obama’s trip to Mexico city. Watch the interview

Fox dismissed the warnings of a growing number of analysts, saying the worst-case scenario is “far, far, away.”

As for who is to blame for the surge in drug cartel violence, Fox refused to point fingers, saying both sides share responsibility – Mexico, for its role as a producer and trans-shipment point for illegal drugs, the United States for its insatiable appetite.

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