Mexico's_Role_in_Contemporary_Politics

Mexico’s rise as a powerful nation has been one of the most recent contemporary phenomenon in comparative politics. As a newly industrialized country, Mexico has the eleventh largest economy in the world by GDP purchasing power parity. The year of 2000 marked the first time that an opposition political party won the presidential seat from the Institutional Revolutionary Party. Breaking this almost century long rule, has allowed Mexico to become more progressive in international trade as well as diplomatic relations with other countries. Still, Mexico faces severe problems with its police corruption, border control issues and deadly drug trafficking. The past 20 years have brought profound changes to the Mexican political system. Once an authoritarian regime controlled by the dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party, Mexico is now an emerging democracy in which political parties compete in open elections and voters understand that electoral results are anything but preordained. The presidential domination of the past has given way to a more even distribution of power among branches and levels of government. But Mexico's evolution toward democracy has been anything but linear and straightforward. Indeed, it has progressed in fits and starts over a 30-year period, and although many claimed that PAN candidate Vicente Fox's victory in the 2000 presidential election was the culmination of the democratic transition, it is clear four years later that the Mexican political system will require more time and more changes to become a full-fledged democracy. The challenges that are marring Mexico’s emerging democracy include police corruption, border control issues and drug trafficking. In November of 2008, Mexico averaged 23 deaths a day from "crime and terror" incidents. Estimates for the total number killed from January through November 2008 run from 4,900 to 5,100. Many political and economic thinkers agree that the drug industry is the root of Mexico’s problems, including police corruption. President Calderon has spearheaded a “all out war” against the drug cartels in Mexico in an effort to purge them from his country, and simultaneously earning international recognition for doing so. Calderon is also pursuing economic transformation which includes the paradigm shift of opening the oil business to foreign investment. He has also issues structural reforms which include the “restructuring” of civil authority, governmental positions and police forces. Calderon states, "Nowadays, we are experiencing the consequences of years of indifference to the cancer of crime, impunity and corruption. This scourge became a threat to the peace and well-being of Mexican families and constitutes a challenges to the state's viability." It can be concluded without a doubt that the drug cartels and inner corruption in Mexico are attributing to the slow process of becoming a more democratic country. A Procedural democracy assumes that the electoral process is at the core of the authority placed in elected officials and ensures that all procedures of elections are duly complied with. It could be described as a democracy (i.e., people voting for representatives) wherein only the basic structures and institutions are in place. It can be argued from both sides that Mexico is a procedural democracy. Sure, they have free elections where citizens can vote for their respective candidates, yet at the same time many of Mexico’s elections are full of corruption, coercion and voting for political gain. Nonetheless, the election of Vincente Fox was a paramount moment in Mexico’s political history, as mentioned before. This is demonstrative that Mexico is indeed a procedural democracy because there was no one person leading the oppositions against the PRI, it was the everyday Mexican who wanted change, and voted for it. The Mexican citizen changed history through individual voting, exercising a profound element of a procedural democracy. Mexico is now the most impressive success story in Latin America today. After decades of economic crises Mexico now combines high growth rates with a relatively low inflation. Furthermore, Mexico's transition to democracy, which began with Vicente Fox's election many years ago, is maturing, through Calderon’s new strict sanctions of reform.. The Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), after 71 years in power, is peacefully handing over the reins of one institution after another. The past 10 years have been an success in an economic and political spectrum but many other factions are failing. I think that Mexico needs to rethink its involvement with NAFTA. If you break NAFTA down, it is almost crystal clear that the United States benefits the most from the treaty. Mexico needs to negotiate border control issues with the United States as well. The United States is spending a sizable portion of money on the border control issue, and Mexico has not been very forward in its goals to end the immigration problem in America. I think that Mexico needs to raise a new and improved, notably larger, border control police force to monitor the exchange of persons, drugs, and other illegal goods between the two nations. Currently, President Obama has already stated that he would like to renegotiate the terms and conditions that NAFTA has set forth. Though Calderon has openly stated that he does not agree with Obama in regards to any forms of renegotiations, I think that this is a step forward for both countries. Other challenges include solving the escalating conflicts caused by human trafficking, drug cartel activities, arms smuggling and widespread violence. There is a clear need for United States-Mexico law enforcement actions, but any police agreement between the United States and Mexico will be ill-received and criticized as interventionism. I personally believe that corruption will always exist and that greed is a common factor when associated with power, so I don’t know when and if police corruption will ever be suppressed. Mexico’s future either going to be bright or bleak. The tourism industry is gleaming, the economy is growing, politicians are becoming more transparent and the gap between the rich and the poor is starting a very long road to closure. Still, Mexico’s social situation is uneasy. Rampant violence, rising unemployment and poverty, and decreasing qualities in education and healthcare services create a desperate popular attitude and as a result, many emigrate to the U.S., searching for better living conditions as undocumented workers. They abandon their home communities, which in turn deprives the latter of the labor force needed for redevelopment, and perpetuates a vicious circle of poverty. Additionally, Mexico’s considerable dependence on American growth has also turned into a liability. After a decade of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) promoted expansion, it’s evident that the US economic sluggishness is hurting Mexico’s development. The future of Mexico lies with the constituents. The 2001 elections marked for the first time in most a century where Mexican citizens changed their lives through the power of voting. The road ahead for Mexico is undeniably difficult, but a light at the end of the tunnel is there. Works Cited Beer, Caroline. “AP Comparative Government and Politics Briefing Paper: Mexico.” College Board. 2005. Luken, Carlos. “What’s Next For Mexico'” MEXIDATA INFO 25 Feb. 2008. Mexican Date Info. 19 Jan. 2009 . “Mexico Politics.” Mexico Politics 10 Apr. 2008, Late ed. Mexico . 19 Jan. 2009 . Hellman, Judith Alder. Mexican Lives. New York: The New York Press, 1994. Joseph, Gilbert M., and Timothy J. Henderson, eds. The Mexico Reader: History, Culture, Politics. Durham: Duke University Press, 2002.