On December 20, 1994, in an attempt to make Mexican products more competitive, Mexican President, Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Len, devalued the Mexican Peso. Unfortunately, attempts at keeping the Peso to only a fifteen percent devaluation failed. The Peso dropped almost forty percent (Roberts, 1). It went from 3.5 to almost 7.5 peso’s to the dollar before it stabilized. The devaluation not only sent shockwaves through the Mexican economy, but through the rest of the world. Why should the world now risk it’s money to save Mexico? Why not just let the Mexican economy and government collapse?
To calm these shock waves United States President Bill Clinton, acting on his executive order, organized an approximately $49.5 billion aid package ($20B U.S., $17.5B International Monetary Fund, $10B BIS, $1B Consortium
of Latin American countries, $1B Canada) to Mexico (Department of State Dispatch, 78). This move could make globalization a friend or a foe in Mexico’s case. Friend, because it opens opportunities for foreign countries
and companies to further expand their economies and influence. Foe, because one country’s economic problems is the world’s economic headache. Unfortunately, it seems that the latter prevails.
The Mexican government is broke, citizens unhappy, rebels are itchy, and opposition leaders are gaining influence. All these are ingredients to a bad situation getting worse--without money or influence, the Mexican government is bound to be overrun.
Mexico over the past few years has gone from a totally corrupt and controlling government to a more democratic, privatized, and deregulated government. This has opened Mexico up to greater economical prosperity. Everything from government ...
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...sociated with the rewards, then one day we will be able to make a perfect globalized economy, and avoid further economic catastrophes. Now that could mean that financial catastrophies may occur on a global scale, as was the case with the Mexican Peso Crisis, but by that token it also means that financial rewards will flourish with greater magnitude.
Works Cited
“U.S. Aid Package to Mexico.” Editorial. U.S. Department of State
Dispatch. 6 Feb 1995: 78 - 79.
Charles Lane. “Who Lost Mexico.” The New Republic. 20 Feb. 1995:
16 - 18.
Tim Zimmerman. “The art of the deal.” U.S. News & World Report.
13 Feb. 1995: 57 - 61.
Gary McWilliams. “A BORDER TOWN FEELS THE PESO'S PINCH.” Business
Week. 6 Mar 1995: America Online.
Paul Craig Roberts. “MEXICO: DON'T BLAME SALINAS FOR ZEDILLO'S
MISTAKES.” Business Week. 4 Mar 1996: America Online.
Diaz offered foreign investors to start business in Mexico and encouraged utilization of the country’s natural resources through the investment of foreign capital (284).
Mexican Lives is a rare piece of literature that accounts for the human struggle of an underdeveloped nation, which is kept impoverished in order to create wealth for that of another nation, the United States. The reader is shown that the act of globalization and inclusion in the world’s economies, more directly the United States, is not always beneficial to all parties involved. The data and interviews, which Hellman has put forth for her readers, contain some aspect of negativity that has impacted their lives by their nation’s choice to intertwine their economy with that of the United States. Therefore it can only be concluded that the entering into world markets, that of Mexico into the United States, does not always bring on positive outcomes. Thus, one sees that Mexico has become this wasteland of economic excrement; as a result it has become inherently reliant on the United States.
The United States has no more important foreign relation ship than that of which it enjoys with Mexico, and vice versa. These two countries share interwoven societies and economies. Although there have been disagreements and turbulence between the two countries, which partnership is without these? The Strength of each country’s democracy is fundamental to the other’s. This relationship that the two countries share directly affects that lives of millions of Mexican and United States citizens everyday. Recently these two countries have become even more unified than ever before. Tackling issues such as Border Control, Countering Narcotics, Dealing with multiple Law enforcement agencies, Human Rights laws, trade and development, etc. There are many issues that they are mutually interested in and must deal with. Yet, there are some vast differences in which these two countries are run. There are also many similarities, which we must take into account. Both Democratic Governments have similar structures, containing a legislative, judicial, and executive branch. Yet, these structures are very different internally, containing specific duties that the other country’s branch may not have.
“Americans may fathom the middle class as being the obvious foundation of civilization and economic development, but most Mexicans have historically seen their country as mostly poor.” The beginning of the book starts with this statement. Throughout the book, it speaks of differences between not only the financial makeup of the country and also the view of the Mexico from the Mexican people. A major difference between the American politicians and Mexicans politicians is the general outlook of the middle class.
What has happened to the Los Zetas cartel is a good example of how the Mexican drug war is not only between the cartels and the Mexican government. The war on drugs is also between rival cartels and even between members of the same cartel. The fall of the previously mentioned Gulf cartel is not because of the actions by the Mexican government, but it is by the actions of the Los Zetas cartel, a group inside the Gulf cartel that they had trusted. Today, the Los Zetas cartel has not grew weak because of the hard work of the Mexican government. Instead, it is because of the internal split and the lust for power by the two leaders of the cartel. This may turn out to be a lucky break for the Mexican government because it is scary to think what would happen if the Los Zetas cartel continued to expand. With corrupt
...leader in as many years. A high turnover of high ranking officials can lead to divisions forming in the ranks and a split of power, diminishing their influence over Mexico. This may be Mexico’s intent here, only trying to capture high ranking officials, in an attempt to cause mass chaos allowing the military to regain some control.
Mexico is a country rich in tradition, history and culture. Unfortunately, Mexico has not been talked about for any of those descriptions I mentioned above lately. Mexico has become a country full of death and violence. The Mexican government has been fighting a war with drug traffickers since December 2006. At the same time, drug cartels have fought each other for control of territory. More than 60,000 people have been killed (CNN). Despite the “war” launched at these multi-billion dollar organized crime groups, Mexico has not been able to stop its slide as a failed state. Almost every day there seems to be either dead bodies lying on the ground, a school closed due to vandalism, disappeared people, or bullet-riddled houses and cars. Sadly, there is not much the citizens of Mexico can do to ask for justice and change to the mess they are living in right now. So who is to blame for all of this? The Mexican drug cartels have completely taken over Mexico. They have become powerful through corruption and violence. The cartels use their power to intimidate and even murder anyone who tries to get in their way. They do not have a problem with decapitating heads in order to make a statement. The drug cartels also use their money to gain power. Given the amount of money they have, the cartels have millions of dollars invested in keeping authorities off their business. They can be very effective in bribing government officials at all levels, from border patrol just patrolling the border to state and high ranking federal officials. Given the resources they have, they can reach out and kill government officials at all levels. Since government officials are faced with bribes and or certain death, even the most unbreakable are caut...
Mexico has a long history of cartels the deaths, drugs and weapon trafficking is in all time high increasing year by year. “Mexico's gangs have flourished since the late 19th century, mostly in the north due to their proximity to towns along the U.S.-Mexico border. But it was the American appetite for cocaine in the 1970s that gave Mexican drug cartels immense power to manufacture and transport drugs across the border. Early Mexican gangs were primarily situated in border towns where prostitution, drug use, bootlegging and extortion flourished” (Wagner). They keep themselves armed and ready with gun supplies shipped from the U.S, taking control of the drug trades. The violence is spilling so out of control that they overthrew the Mexican government.
When we hear discussions or read articles about drug wars, killings, and illegal immigration into the United States, many of us immediately think of Mexico. As a nation, Mexico is a much greater country than these commonly referred to issues. Mexico is a country with a broad history, deep family culture, and an economy fueled by oil and tourism. The United States Department of State (USDS) offers a broad range of information on countries outside the US, including Mexico. I found a wealth of information about Mexico through the USDS Background Note provided on their website located at www.state.gov. I will outline for you the key information found in this report, and others, related to the Mexican economy, culture, and more.
Mexico is boarded by the United States of America, Belize and Guatemala. Mexico has a very diverse landscape of mountains, plateaus, deserts, tropical jungles, and even beautiful Palm beaches. With its diverse climate, Mexico also has a diverse population of plants. In desert areas, the most common plants that are found include cac...
“The Perilous State of Mexico.” The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, 21 Feb. 2009. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.
Mexico in the late 19th and early 20th century was experiencing great cultural and economic change, but with these changes came unrest and discontent. Mexico had been under the rule of President Porfirio Díaz, a man who had risen to power as a military general and would later seized control of the government in a political coup. Díaz would rule over Mexico for thirty years in a time
In 1821, Mexico won its independence back from Spain but that wasn’t the end of their fight. Many countries have continued to struggle after engaging in war, whether they win or lose, and Mexico was no different. Recovery was challenging, they face many political challenges, and struggled to secure a suitable leader. It was also difficult for them to populate and protect borders of the northern area they acquired when winning their independence. Populating these areas was made even more difficult by the constant conflict and fighting they engaged in with the Native Americans. Not only that, but the central government and the poorer frontier communities clashed when it came to theirs ideals and they struggled to communicate and work
Mexico is one of the most populated and industrialized of the third world nations, yet it remains very impoverished in comparison to it’s northern neighbor. Recently Mexico has been the third largest trading partner of the United States, has become an important exporter of petroleum and plays a pivotal role in the politics of the region. Yet Mexico is frequently treated with neglect and misunderstanding by the United States. This treatment is why Mexico is hesitant about United States influence and investment in Mexico. While many foreign countries acknowledge the United States as a protectorate and a blessing, Mexico sees the United States as a problematic source. The idea of the United States overshadowing Mexico was best stated in Pofirio Diaz’s famous quote. From the Pofiriato up until today Mexico is still in the shadows of the United States; but with the creation of NAFTA the intentional distance between the United States and Mexico has begun to close.
Globalization has become one of the most influential forces in the twentieth century. International integration of world views, products, trade and ideas has caused a variety of states to blur the lines of their borders and be open to an international perspective. The merger of the Europeans Union, the ASEAN group in the Pacific and NAFTA in North America is reflective of the notion of globalized trade. The North American Free Trade Agreement was the largest free trade zone in the world at its conception and set an example for the future of liberalized trade. The North American Free Trade Agreement is coming into it's twentieth anniversary on January 1st, 2014. 1 NAFTA not only sought to enhance the trade of goods and services across the borders of Canada, US and Mexico but it fostered shared interest in investment, transportation, communication, border relations, as well as environmental and labour issues. The North American Free Trade Agreement was groundbreaking because it included Mexico in the arrangement.2 Mexico was a much poorer, culturally different and protective country in comparison to the likes of Canada and the United States. Many members of the U.S Congress were against the agreement because they did not want to enter into an agreement with a country that had an authoritarian regime, human rights violations and a flawed electoral system.3 Both Canadians and Americans alike, feared that Mexico's lower wages and lax human rights laws would generate massive job losses in their respected economies. Issues of sovereignty came into play throughout discussions of the North American Free Trade Agreement in Canada. Many found issue with the fact that bureaucrats and politicians from alien countries would be making deci...