| | |  News Around the Republic of Mexico | November 2008 
Mexico: Reaching Out to Obama
 Diego Cevallos - Inter Press Service
go to original
 |  | Obama’s 'sensible and straightforward' attitude could make it easier to bring about a change in U.S. relations with Mexico.
- Jorge Chabat |  | | | |
Mexico City - Following President-elect Barack Obama’s triumph in the U.S. elections, the Mexican government hopes to enter a new stage in the country’s relations with its northern neighbour.
But it will be no easy task, especially considering that Obama has said he is interested in renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which links the United States, Canada and Mexico, in order to improve its labour and environmental standards.
He also voted for the 2006 Secure Fence Act, which authorised the construction of 700 additional miles (1,100 kilometres) of walls and fences along the lengthy U.S.-Mexican border, although since then he has softened his support for the barrier.
As soon as Obama’s victory was confirmed, Mexican President Felipe Calderón invited him to visit the country in the near future. In a letter congratulating the president-elect on behalf of the people and government of Mexico, the conservative Calderón also expressed his desire to begin a "new phase" of bilateral relations.
The election of the Democratic Party candidate opens up "new horizons" for Mexico, but a dose of realism is necessary, because any possible change "will come gradually and will take time," Graciela Pérez, a professor at the Autonomous Metropolitan University (UAM), told IPS.
Mexico is separated from the United States by a 3,200-kilometre border, and trade between the two countries amounts to more than one billion dollars a day, although that figure is shrinking now due to the global financial crisis.
Some seven million undocumented Mexican immigrants live in the United States, and more and more make it into that country every day, despite the fence along large parts of the border.
Mexico and the rest of Latin America have not merited much attention from Obama, but according to Jorge Chabat, an expert with the Centre for. Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE), his historic triumph opens a window of opportunities.
What the Mexican government should do now is present its case to Obama and seek opportunities for dialogue, Chabat said to IPS. He noted that the U.S. president-elect knows very little about Mexico and Latin America in general.
In Pérez’s view, however, Obama’s "sensible and straightforward" attitude could make it easier to bring about a change in U.S. relations with Mexico.
While relations between the two countries are not at a critical moment, they have been distant and cold since Mexico refused to support the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq in March 2003. There is also constant friction over the United States’ use of police force to persecute immigrants.
Pérez believes that Obama’s stance against NAFTA and his support of the border fence will be further tempered once he takes office, and that he could shift to "new formulas" through negotiations with the Mexican government.
During his campaign, in reference to NAFTA, Obama declared that the U.S. "should use the hammer of a potential opt-out as leverage to ensure that we actually get labour and environmental standards that are enforced."
The Calderón administration rejected the threat and the possibility of renegotiating or cancelling the trade agreement, in force since 1994. For social activists, however, a revision of NAFTA is just and necessary.
Alejandro Villamar, spokesperson for the Mexican Free Trade Action Network (RMALC), told IPS that Obama’s victory is good news for all those who are hoping for a review of NAFTA, as in their opinion the trade deal has only brought trouble.
Article 2205 of the treaty stipulates that a "party may withdraw from this Agreement six months after it provides written notice of withdrawal to the other parties" -- that is, with no other requirement.
At a campaign rally in May, Obama said that Bush’s "policy in the Americas (Latin America) has been negligent toward our friends, ineffective with our adversaries, disinterested in the challenges that matter in peoples’ lives, and incapable of advancing our interests in the region."
The then presidential hopeful said at the same rally that he supported Mexico’s police and military efforts in the war against drug trafficking. On the issue of immigration, he called for keeping the U.S. border heavily secured and requiring employers who hire foreign workers to observe tougher enforcement laws.
However, Obama also said such strong measures would be adopted in the framework of a "comprehensive immigration reform" that would also include "bringing 12 million unauthorised immigrants (the vast majority Mexican) out of the shadows."
Pérez, for his part, said that the election of Obama would enable Mexico and the United States to find new ground for comprehension, as both countries are still weighed down by many biases, differences and interests that prevent them from fully understanding each other.
Mexican Ambassador to the United States Arturo Sarukhan stated that it should be understood that Mexico and Latin America in general are not a "geo-strategic" priority for the United States.
Sarukhan reported that during the U.S. presidential campaign the Mexican embassy contacted the offices of both Obama and his Republican opponent John McCain to "make them aware that maintaining relations with our (Latin American) countries is profitable."
In the ambassador’s opinion, the attacks on NAFTA were part of the campaign rhetoric, but it is very unlikely that they will be put into practice. |
|
| |
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us