Mexico’s New Undead Rapist Mayor-Elect
Yes, you read that title correctly. The small municipality of San Agustín Amatengo in the Mexican state of Oaxaca has recently attracted national attention due to what is likely the strangest story in electoral politics in the country. On July 7, Lenin Carballido, the candidate from a Partido Acción Nacional (National Action Party—PAN)-Partido de la … Read more
The PRI’s Losses are Peña Nieto’s Gains
MEXICO CITY —Mexico’s July 7 local elections, held in half of the country’s states, were the first since President Enrique Peña Nieto took office. As such, they served as a quasi-referendum on the president’s Partido Revolucionario Institucional (Institutional Revolutionary Party—PRI), and provide the political backdrop against which Peña Nieto will push his agenda to remake … Read more
Monday Memo: Mexico Elections—Peru Protests—Same-Sex Unions—NSA Activities—UNASUR Meets
Likely top stories this week: results in the race for governor of Baja California; protests over legislation in Peru; Costa Rica approves same-sex civil unions; Brazil responds to surveillance reports; and UNASUR divided over Evo Morales’ flight interruptions. Baja California’s Next Governor On Sunday, nearly half of Mexico’s 31 states held elections for mayors and … Read more
Incentive-Based Contracts in Mexico’s Oil Sector
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto’s plan to reform state-owned Petroléos Mexicanos (PEMEX) has attracted the attention of many analysts. Since President Lázaro Cárdenas nationalized the oil sector in 1938, no president has been able to push for reform to allow for foreign ownership of petroleum assets. Peña Nieto sees allowing foreign investment to be critical … Read more
Criminal Violence Becomes Political Ahead of Mexico’s July 7 Elections
Not since Mexico’s transition to democracy in the late 1980s has the country witnessed the high levels of political violence that have characterized the build-up to the July 7 local elections. Local politicians across the country have been the target of death threats, arson attacks and shootings. Although organized crime and drug-related violence in Mexico … Read more
Las redes sociales y la política en México: El caso de las “ladies” y los “gentlemen”
Desde que comenzó el gobierno de Enrique Peña Nieto en diciembre de 2012, un curioso fenómeno se ha presentado en el mundo de la política mexicana. Al parecer, nuestros dirigentes no han comprendido el enorme poder de la tecnología y la impresionante capacidad de difusión que tienen las redes sociales, mismas que escapan completamente de … Read more
Human Trafficking in Mexico
On June 4, the Mexican Army raided a house in the border town of Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Tamaulipas and rescued 165 people being held against their will by a 20-year-old identified as Juan Cortez Arrez. Testimonies from some of the victims show that they had been kidnapped for nearly three weeks. News of their rescue … Read more
The Dragon Mart Controversy: Implications for the China-Mexico Trade Relationship
Mexico and China have often seen each other as rivals as they compete for market share in the United States. However, this perception is outdated. Both countries’ economies have undergone transformations and now have the potential to play complementary roles. This was on full display this week when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Mexico and … Read more
OAS General Assembly to Elect Three New IACHR Members
The General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) comes to a close today in Antigua, Guatemala, with a vote for three new members of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) scheduled for this afternoon. The elections, which will take place during the 3:00 p.m. (CST)/5:00 p.m. (EDT) plenary session, will replace three … Read more
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Visit to Mexico
In 2002, former Mexican President Vicente Fox was recorded telling Cuban leader Fidel Castro over the phone, “You’ll eat and then you’ll leave” (“comes y te vas”) days before the UN Financing for Development Conference was held in Monterrey. Fox was referring to an evening dinner for heads of state hosted by the Mexican government … Read more
Chinese President Xi Jinping Visits the Americas
On his second trip abroad since taking office, Chinese President Xi Jinping began his tour of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago today. He will also visit Costa Rica, Mexico and the United States as Vice President Biden finishes his own Latin American tour. On this trip, the Chinese president will meet with Mexican President … Read more
Special Unit Created to Search for Mexico’s Disappeared
On Monday, various Mexican government officials were joined by the representative of the United Nations‘ Human Rights office in Mexico at an event to mark the creation of a special investigative unit to search for missing people. The unit will be part of the attorney general’s office and will increase the number of federal investigators … Read more
Las Policías Comunitarias en México
En los últimos años, se ha presentado en México un fenómeno social muy preocupante. En muchas de las regiones azotadas por la violencia del crimen organizado, las poblaciones se han unido para crear las llamadas “policías comunitarias”—grupos de autodefensa civil integrados por vecinos de las mismas comunidades que se dedican a realizar las labores de … Read more
New Push for Stronger Russia-Mexico Ties
Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs José Antonio Meade met with Russian Senator Valentina I. Matvienko president of the Federation Council of the General Assembly in Mexico City, to celebrate a cooperation agreement signed earlier in the week that highlights the importance of stronger relations between the two countries. During a ceremony earlier this week Ernesto Cordero, president of Mexico’s Permanent … Read more
Mexico’s Response to the San Pedro Xalostoc Highway Accident
It was 5:30 am on Tuesday, May 7, when a “full trailer” truck (which can carry loads up to 75.5 tons) transporting LP gas skidded off the Mexico City-Pachuca highway, exploded and caused a horrific tragedy, resulting in over 20 deaths and structural damage in the settlement of San Pedro Xalostoc, Ecatepec. Initial investigations from … Read more
