Mexico and the United States: Different Views

President Lopez Obrador’s appearance at President Joe Biden’s April 22 climate change summit highlighted the distances between the two presidents. For Biden, reducing carbon dioxide emissions and moving to clean energy is a priority. Lopez Obrador’s decisions go in the opposite direction: unsuccessful multi-million dollar investments in conventional energy sources – via PEMEX – and countless obstacles to the move toward clean energy.

But the differences are not limited to the energy sector. In the National Security Strategic Guidelines document published last March (Interim National Security Strategic Directives 2021), he referred to a series of values ​​and principles that will guide the current government’s national security strategy, which are difficult to reconcile with its proposals. Positions of President of the Mexican Executive.

With a comprehensive vision of national security, which includes economic security, the document clearly indicates the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions and move towards clean energy. But he also talks about the dangers posed by the emergence of authoritarian regimes that use disinformation and reinforce divisions within their societies. The document explicitly indicates that reversing this trend is necessary for the national security of the United States.

The document also spoke about the need to re-separate the powers and the independence of the judiciary. There is nothing beyond the trends of the Mexican executive, from seeking to acquire, neutralize and / or control all state institutions and any actor that can represent a counterweight to the executive branch.

With regard to public security, the document stressed the need to coordinate efforts between the Union, the state, and local and tribal forces, as well as with the private sector and international counterparts. In Mexico, public security is characterized by centralization and militarization, and international cooperation in this area is practically non-existent.

Particular mention should be made of the need to strengthen the rule of law and strengthen the United States’ security and intelligence institutions, and international mechanisms for cooperation and information sharing. From the perspective of the Mexican executive, the rule of law should be subordinate to the political needs of 4T and the dismantling of institutions was a constant in his government.

President Lopez Obrador stressed in his morning the necessity of attacking the issue of immigration from its origins and his suggestion to President Biden to invest 4 billion dollars in Central America in programs such as sowing life and sowing the future.

President Biden has mandated Vice President Kamala Harris to address the issue. The Vice President has just announced that there will be $ 310 million in humanitarian aid for Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. The funds will be used to mitigate the damage caused by persistent drought and food shortages and to counter the effects of the epidemic. At no time was it mentioned Mexico’s programs or the multiple proposals of Lopez Obrador or that this could constitute a joint program with Mexico.

The ideal bilateral cooperation scheme requires convergence of leadership, convergence of priorities and goals, strong cooperation mechanisms that prevail with confidence, and an action plan that includes priorities, goals, strategies and lines of action. We fast the four components.

For President Lopez Obrador and his followers, the world defines and rules from the morning. Either Biden and his people do not see the morning or the world moving in another direction by other standards and by other actors. Actors and Morning’s proposals do not appear on the big screen. However, this does not exempt Mexico from the consequences of this gap with the global power it relies on to survive. There is not and cannot be good news for Mexico in this business.