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Priya Thennarasu
Felipe Calderon, the current President of Mexico, is scheduled to meet with Raul Castro this week in the hopes of reducing tension between the two nations. Mexico and Cuba had previously been on good terms until former President, Vicente Fox supported the United States in their condemnation of Cuba's human rights record. This is said to be a political move, as better relations with Cuba could potentially help the PAN candidate in the upcoming elections. While in Cuba, it is said that Calderon will also be meeting with the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Cuba, Cardinal Jaime Ortega.
With the upcoming presidential election in Mexico, political ads are becoming increasingly important. However, according to the Mexican constitution, negative political ads have been banned, along with ads paid for by private groups – a far cry from campaigning in the United States. This ban is fairly recent, only put into place during the last election in 2006 when candidate Lopez Obrador was labeled “a danger for Mexico.” As with any legislation that hinders free speech, the ban has its critics. Some say that in doing this, the government is preventing the voters from being entirely educated on the positions and histories of the candidates, thus hindering their ability to make an educated vote.
According to Coparmex, Mexico’s largest business group, over 160,000 businesses have left Mexico in just the last year. The reason is the rampant violence in Mexico which stems from the violent drug cartels. Approximately 50,000 people have died from drug cartel related violence during Calderon’s term in office. The drug violence has also impacted the tourism industry, with many Americans choosing not to vacation in Mexico – this added up to a loss of nearly $800 in revenue in the past 5 years. Businesses are relocating to countries with more security with greater potential to be successful.
JACKSON ECKERT'S SECTION OF THIS WEBLOG:
New Cell Phone Geolocalization Law a Human Rights Conundrum?
by Jackson Eckert
http://school.nettrekker.com/goExternal?np=/external.ftl&pp=/error.ftl&evlCode=168592&productName=school&HOMEPAGE=M
http://school.nettrekker.com/goExternal?np=/external.ftl&pp=/error.ftl&evlCode=168592&productName=school&HOMEPAGE=M
Toward the end of last month, Mexico's legislature passed a law that would allow cell phones in the country to be tracked via tower and satellite. It's very much like the PATRIOT Act, except considerably more intrusive and possibly more altruistic in its goals. The purpose of this law, according to lawmakers, is to prevent phone theft and illegal activities such as blackmail and kidnapping, especially on the part of the Mexican drug cartels. However, is it too intrusive? With this law, the attorney general's office would be able to track every phone down to the near-extinct DynaTac Dinosaurs. And with Mexico's rampant corruption and lawlessness (especially within the Mexican authorities), this legislation is a major potential human rights issue. This remains to be seen, and it's worth following as the Congress' latest anti-cartel measure goes public.
Time's Running out for Nieto's Challengers as Frontrunner Pulls Away
By Jackson Eckerthttp://www.economist.com/node/21551488
Mexican presidential candidate Enrique Pena Nieto appears to be outstripping his competitors, as latest data show that he carries a 15 percentage point lead in the polls. Do his other two challengers, Josefina Vázquez Mota and AMLO, stand a chance at this point? This article details some of the ways in which those lagging behind may still be able to pull off a fine finish. General consensus is that AMLO’s campaign of reconciliation and “love,” including his softer positions on big business and taxation, are not going to help his case in this campaign. However, the PAN candidate Vázquez has really cut Nieto’s lead with an energetic PR campaign and popular stance as a compromiser and floor-crosser. Even so, Nieto’s telegenic charm and refreshing PRI perspective is apparently welcome, and it appears that this race is becoming increasingly one-sided for good.
Is Mexico Getting Somewhere in the Drug War with US Aid?
By Jackson Eckert
In an American court, Jose Antonio Acosta Hernandez, known leader of the Barrio Azteca drug cartel, recently pleaded guilty to the murder of Lesley Enriquez and her husband. This comes after Acosta had allegedly taken responsibility for around 1,500 deaths near Ciudad Juarez. What’s especially interesting here is the interplay between the Mexican and American government; the nature of the crime allowed for Acosta’s extradition and trial in America, despite being a prominent criminal in Mexico. On the one hand, this is a major victory for Mexico in the government’s war on the drug cartels, and it takes advantage of the strength of US rule of law, which is nonexistent in Mexico. On the other hand: is the US fighting Mexico’s battle for it? As evidenced by this particular crime, America is certainly invested in the anti-drug campaign, but shouldn’t it be Mexico’s problem overall? Let’s hope this coming election can lead to a new policy and help to solve this pressing issue, for the sake of North America in general.
Shilpa Subrahmanyam's Contribution to the Interweb
The Peso Rallies; Value of Peso is Largely Connected to the US Economy
As of late, the Mexican Peso has been struggling in terms of its strength in an international context. Within the last four days, the Peso closed weaker versus the dollar. The Peso recovered some losses from U.S. jobs disappointment. Furthermore, local stocks made modest gains and bonds rose sharply. Overall, the currency recovered some of the losses made in international trading in the past week when local markets were closed due to the 4-day weekend. I find it interesting that the Peso was able to rally so quickly within a short period of time. I also think that the value of a country’s currency says a lot about the economy of said country and the country as a whole as well. The value of the Peso, according to this article, is heavily dependent on the state of the U.S. economy—a fact I find most interesting.
Mexico documentary points up sad state of public schools
Recently, a new Mexican documentary has been released that depicts public schools in Mexico as a giant factory of failure. According to the documentary, classrooms are crumbling, students aren’t even able to understand what they are made to read, parents are not involved in their child’s learning process, and teachers—who are often incompetent and lack proper credentials—are protected by a powerful union boss. I think it is interesting that the documentary has gained a lot of fame. It’s interesting that the documentary links a lot of Mexico’s other failures to this one, large source: the public education system. A lot of the concern within the country is directed towards what many Mexicans would consider the country’s primary concern and most troubling issue: the drug war. This documentary puts the flaws in the public education system at par with the obscenities that accompany the drug war.
Mexico's Middle Class is Booming
Firstly, I think it is immensely important to point out that this article is set in Queretaro, Mexico—home to La Catrina. Aside from that, this article suggests that the time for the middle class in Mexico has come. The middle class is booming in a politically and economically dynamic Mexico. Now a lot of questions come to mind. In particular, why the middle class? When so many other sections of society are having a hard time, how did the middle class find a way to rally? The article gives credit to two things: among the middle class citizens of Mexico, families are shrinking due to low fertility rates as well as choice, and education levels are going. Luis a la Calle, an economist, stated that “As hard as it is for many of us to accept, Mexico is now a middle-class country, which means we don’t have any excuse anymore. We have to start acting like a middle-class country.” I feel like this quote addresses the rapid change that even the citizens are trying to wrap their heads around as well as the transformation of the socio-economic dynamic of a large chunk of Mexico’s populous.
Illegal Immigration
By Tyler Neenan
DHS: Illegal immigrant population is 11.5 million
Illegal immigrants cross into the United States for one reason and one reason only: money. As kind of pathetic as it is the wages they get paid for fourteen hours' worth of backbreaking labor here, it's still substantially more than they would get paid back home. Experts believe that the money illegal immigrants send back home to their families is more than Mexico gets annually for oil, business, and tourism. And if you've ever been to Cancun, you'll know that that must be a whole lot of money. There is a great disparity between Northern and Southern Economies, similar to antebellum America. The North is industrialized, reliant on the markets, particularly the maquiladoras. The South's economy is comparatively extremely stagnant, and as a result, many Southernerns cross the border. In order to cope with this problem, it's necessary to incentivize the Southern laborers, engender new sources of viable revenue.
How the Real Mexican Stereotype has Evolved
By Tyler Neenan
It's interesting how the world tends to cling to concepts that have long since become obsolete. The stereotype for Mexicans comes, of course, from the Mexican Revolution in 1910-- that's 100 years old. Those Mexicans were indeed a short, stout people who wore big sombreros, huaraches and ponchos that got drunk on tequila (or mezcal) on a daily basis. But that's because most of the people who fought that war were peasants fighting to retain their lands. The predominant stereotype comes from a time when the Mexican people hated their government so fervently to the point of taking up their shovels and going to war-- a braver time. Now, conversely, the Mexican people still hate their government, but nobody gives a chiguagua about doing anything, not communist youth, not freedom fighters. Unfortunately, the guys holding the guns in Mexico are hardly heroes. They carry an air of inherent superiority and probably enjoy killing. They also make about 23 million dollars per year, tax-free. From any given Mexican news source, you could find ten to fifteen headlines per day along the lines of-- "execution related to narcos," etc. In reality, however, this is not the majority. Just as every country has its criminals of which it is not proud, it also has its unseen majority. The stereotype is no longer an illegal immigrant hustling for day labor outside a Home Depot in Phoenix. The new Mexican is the overscheduled soccer dad shopping for a barbecue grill inside a Home Depot in booming Mexican cities like Queretaro. When President Felipe Calderon of the center-right National Action Party won in 2006, outpolling the leftist Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, it was the middle class that gave Calderon his tortilla-thin victory. The truth is, although it's a stretch to call Mexico developed, the schism between the wealthy and the poor is slowly diminishing. A profound demographic transformation is taking place. Now, of course, every middle class city has its drunkards and its peddlers, such as the one candidly pictured above. But the reality is that the average Mexican citizen probably doesn't live an unrecognizably different lifestyle from yours or mine.
Amanda's Blog Contribution
The Sun, the Moon, and Walmart
We've learned about Mexico's corruption problems and have seen a few examples of it such as police officers taking bribes from drug lords, but this article illuminates how deep the corruption really extends. From the time kids are going to primary school they learn "El que no transa, no avanza" which basically means that if you don't cheat you will never get ahead. The author of the article recounts numerous times that he has experienced corruption during his own life, whether his teacher was making kids buy lottery tickets for grades, or a tuna fishermen was paying him money to stop trying to save the dolphins killed by the tuna fleet. Money seems to be the answer to everything in Mexico, if you have it you can get anything you want, if you don't you're doomed to accept bribes from those who do. The article even throws out a staggering statistic claiming that in the past 30 years $870 billion was lost to corruption, crime, and tax evasion. Even relatively honest American companies such as Walmart are taking advantage of the corruption in Mexico in order to build new stores and underpay their employees. If Mexico ever hopes to become an industrialized nation and be on par with countries like their northern neighbors, the U.S. and Canada, they have to figure out a way to put an end to corruption. In recent years Mexico has given way to more democratization with free, fair, and competitive elections. Maybe this further democratization will help put an end to corruption in Mexico.
Mexico violence: Two journalists killed in Veracruz
Veracruz is being fought over by two of the most powerful drug gangs, the Zetas and the Gulf Cartel. These two gangs have been linked to a series of murders involving journalists in Veracruz. Although Mexico is thought to have a comparatively free press, it is becoming extremely dangerous to be a journalist in Mexico. Seven journalists have been killed in Veracruz since 2011 and many more have been killed throughout the country. It is not yet known the exact reason of why the drug gangs are killing the journalists but one this is certain, Mexico's press is not as free as it used to be. With the rise of drug violence journalists have to watch what they write so that they don't become targets of the gangs, which defeats the idea of a free press.
