21st Century U.S.-Mexico Project

New book project: Confronting the 21st Century
Mexico and the United States: Confronting the Twenty-First Century

The goal of this new project is to provide an up-to-date assessment of key issues in the U.S.-Mexican relationship, identify points of convergence and divergence in respective national interests, and analyze likely consequences of potential policy approaches.

The project is co-sponsored by USMEX along with the Mexico Institute of the Woodrow Wilson Center (Washington DC), El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (Tijuana), and El Colegio de México (Mexico City). A planning group consists of René Zenteno, Andrew Selee, David Mares, Gustavo del Castillo, Gustavo Vega, Lorenzo Meyer, and Peter Smith. Additional contributors to the project include such outstanding scholars as Bruce Bagley, David Fitzgerald, Chappell Lawson, David Shirk, Carol Wise, Sergio Aguayo, Luis Astorga, Tonatiuh Guillén López, and Isabel Studer.

The plan is to convene a workshop for project participants at USMEX on July 24-25, 2009, and to publish the book (in English and Spanish) in early 2010 with presentation ceremonies in Mexico City, Tijuana, and Washington DC.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

PART I. THE GLOBAL CONTEXT

1. Confronting a New World Order: Outlooks, Resources, and Responses

Are we moving toward a multi-polar world? As “first among equals,” rather than a lone superpower, the United States appears to be facing new challenges from rising powers—such as Russia, India, and (especially) China. How might this affect American diplomacy—and policies toward Mexico and the rest of Latin America? Will a shifting geopolitical landscape provide Mexico with new opportunities—or threats? How can Mexico maintain its competitive niche in the global economy? And how will this affect Mexico’s relationship with the United States?

2. The United States and Mexico: On the Brink of a New Era?

Is the bilateral relationship between Mexico and the United States undergoing fundamental change? Does the present moment offer an historic opportunity? Why and in what way? What is likely to be the balance between continuity and change over the next generation? 

PART II. MANAGING THE RELATIONSHIP: POLITICAL DIMENSIONS

3. Processes of Policy Making

Who makes foreign policy and how in Mexico and the United States? How do these processes affect the conduct of the relationship? Do Mexico and the United States have coherent policies toward each other? What are the relative roles of the presidency, the legislature, special interests, public opinion, and other factors? Are policies shaped by long-term strategic considerations or by short-term electoral concerns? And in particular, how has democratization affected policy-making processes in Mexico?

4. National Security and Foreign Policy

The post-9/11 world gives primordial attention to questions of security—and definitions thereof. What are the primary security concerns of Mexico and the United States? In what sense do the countries share a “strategic partnership”? Organized crime and drug trafficking continue to pose serious threats to governmental authority in Mexico, while the United States faces continuing and long-term threats from terrorist organizations. What are prospects for creation of a “North American security perimeter”? How might the 2008 U.S. election affect bilateral discourses on these issues?

5. Drugs, Crime, and Violence

What is the current situation regarding illicit drugs? While international attention has focused upon the war against terror, drug trafficking has assumed new and particularly dangerous forms. The Mexican drug scene has changed considerably in recent years—with sharp increases in domestic consumption, accelerations in criminal violence, and rearrangements of the cartel structure. Where are these dynamics heading? What are the prospects for meaningful bilateral cooperation?

6. Re-Imagining the Border

Are there alternative ways of managing the U.S.-Mexican border? It is an area of conflict and cooperation, anxiety, hope, violence—and infinite complexity. It is also the principal intersection for almost all aspects of the bilateral relationship: drugs, trade, immigration, environmental degradation, and so on. Can we look at comparable borders around the world and identify “best practices”? What alternative institutional arrangements might seem plausible?

PART III. REALITIES OF ECONOMIC CONVERGENCE

7. NAFTA, Trade, and Development

What impact has NAFTA exerted on relative levels of economic development in Mexico and the United States? Has it reduced—or increased—the historic development gap? To what extent does NAFTA give rise to a positive-sum game? What are the social and political implications of this situation? Should U.S. policymakers be directly concerned about the progress of development in Mexico?

8. NAFTA: In Need of Reform?

After 15 years of implementation, does NAFTA need to be reformed? In what ways? Should Mexico continue to rely on its U.S. partnership, or diversify instead? And how important is Mexico to the United States? How can NAFTA respond to two pressing issues of the twenty-first century--energy and infrastructure?

9. Natural Resources and Environmental Protection

How to manage natural resources in an environmentally responsible way? What are the trade-offs? Mexico has a clear interest in developing natural resources, but should also consider strategies for conservation. As a principal consumer of natural resources, the United States must confront its environmental responsibility—toward future generations and, especially, toward hemispheric neighbors. How to balance these concerns? Papers might deal with water (including underground aquifers), forests, the atmosphere (i.e. “clean air”), and so on.

10. Immigration and Labor

Like it or not, labor migration constitutes a fundamental facet of regional economic integration—and it responds to laws of supply and demand. As such, it requires sensitive and sensible international policies. The official stance of the Mexican government toward emigrants has shifted markedly in recent decades—but still remains unclear. And U.S. views are confused and contradictory: American employers welcome the labor while American workers fear the economic competition and self-appointed sentinels of social purity denounce what they regard as cultural contamination. What are the legitimate and long-term interests of Mexico and the United States? And what mechanisms might work best to facilitate those goals?

11. Synthesis: Policy Implications for Mexico and the United States