The Mexican ‘Standoff’- Between What Groups?

Patrick McCorkle
Aug 26, 2017 · 2 min read

As of late, President Donald Trump has declared that he is willing to shut down the government to get funding for his controversial border wall with Mexico. We will see if this actually comes to pass. Our southern neighbor is in an awkward position and they have limited options as how to proceed with the Trump administration.

As Latin American studies expert Shannon K. O’Neil writes, there currently is a “Mexican Standoff” between the two countries. As she points out, relations between Mexico and the USA were not good for most of the 20th century. In the past 25 years, diplomatic, economic and cultural ties have been strengthened significantly. However, Mr. Trump’s rise and election are putting a lot of strain on the recent progress.

While the article is a good overview of the history and current status of Mexican-USA relations, I find that it overlooks what Mexico can do internally to solve its problems. The article seems to argue that Mexico needs the USA to keep economically afloat and raise the quality of life for its citizens. This is a simplification and not the entire story.

As some Mexicans have told me, they believe Mr. Trump is a distraction. Those in power use him as an excuse to not do their jobs. It is far easier to complain about the Orange Gringo from the North than it is to seriously take a hard look at the many problems facing Mexico, such as political corruption, insecurity, a poor education system and economic inequality.

Ms. O’Neil reports that “So far, Mexico’s aim has been to simply protect the pre-Trump status quo as much as possible.” Before Mr. Trump rose to political prominence, there were many good things concerning U.S.-Mexican relations. Nevertheless, from the 1980s to early 2000s, in the same timeframe that relations between the two countries improved, there was massive immigration to the USA from Mexico due to the problems already mentioned and the USA’s need for workers.

Mexico’s internal problems were not created by Mr. Trump and are more fundamental to the country’s future than its relations with the USA. If these issues are not resolved, it won’t matter who is in the White House- more Mexicans will opt to leave their country for better opportunities abroad, depriving Mexico of its best and brightest. This is the true standoff- between the Mexican people and the often corrupt government, which is responsible for many of the internal problems.

There is no doubt that Mr. Trump poses a challenge to the Mexican government. Previous U.S. administrations were much more willing to work with Mexico and it is not possible to immediately adjust to the shift. All the same, regardless of what Mr. Trump says and does, Mexico needs to focus on its internal issues like political corruption, insecurity, a poor education system and economic inequality. Otherwise, the true ‘standoff’ will never end, and nothing will improve.


Originally published at theprimacyofpolitics.blogspot.com on August 25, 2017.

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Patrick McCorkle

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I am a recent college graduate with a major in Political Science, History and Spanish who has a keen interest in politics. theprimacyofpolitics.blogspot.com

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