Thank you, United States

a Lopez Obrador He likes to shout against neoliberalism at every opportunity. He blames him for almost all of Mexico’s ills. The United States is the biggest proponent of this ideology, so it would make sense to have a rejection. On the contrary. There is so much to be thankful for.

The situation in the country would have been worse and the recovery would have been less strong if not for our neighbor to the north. Remittances from our immigrant compatriots to their relatives in Mexico have always been an important source of well-being. But during the pandemic it became vital. In 2020, he earned more than 40 billion dollars, which is a record. Without this help, millions of families would have been left homeless.

The main reason our compatriots were able to send such high amounts despite the terrible global crisis and lockdowns was the massive financial incentives provided by the United States government. While our support provides minimal support to citizens and businesses, the United States has been among the most generous. The benefits penetrated into different countries, but Mexico was the most preferred.

Thanks to remittances, economic revitalization has gained even greater strength. Remittances have offset income sources such as tourism, which are still very vulnerable as a result of the pandemic. Again, it is the US government that stimulates its economy and, in turn, puts money in the pockets of Mexican immigrants to send to their families. In the first three months of the year, conversions increased more than 10% compared to 2020, and are estimated to reach an all-time high in 2021.

It’s not just remittances from the United States that have helped us move forward. The strength with which its economy recovers lifts us up. Goldman Sachs believes that US GDP could grow by 8% this year. Given the tremendous interconnectedness between us, this is excellent news for Mexico. We can make the most of the relationship thanks to one of the most emblematic works of neoliberal politics: the Free Trade Agreement (today renamed T-MEC). This agreement is largely because our economy could grow by 6% in 2021.

Although the US system is based on neoliberalism, Lopez Obrador Publicly acknowledge the benefits of being neighbors. In fact, he modified the famous phrase of Porfirio Diaz: “Poor Mexico, so far from God and so close to the United States” to “It’s great that Mexico is so close to God and not so far from the United States.” The paradox of relying so much on the symbolic state of this current, which embodies the archetype of the model the president hates, should not go unnoticed.

It shouldn’t be easy to thank a country that has such often opposing principles. But the truth is that even if I never accepted it, Lopez Obrador It has many neoliberal features.