Our country undoubtedly faces enormous public policy challenges – some of them existential – as well as an inevitable debate about the vision of the Mexican state on the road to next year’s presidential elections.
As is the case in most countries (except at particular historical moments), foreign policy will not define how Mexicans end up voting at the polls. But it does have an essential impact on Mexico’s well-being, prosperity, security, and national interests.
That is why what we have witnessed these past weeks is alarming.
Mexico’s aimless foreign policy
There were 10 days in September in which President López Obrador once again turned his back on the world, ignored foreign policy, and gave the finger to both the rules-based international system and to international relations. His is a foreign policy adrift, with the unavoidable consequence of sending Mexico’s world credibility hurtling towards rock bottom.
First, the President did not attend (once again) a key summit of a mechanism to which Mexico belongs – the G20, in India – and missed his fifth United Nations General Assembly in a row. There will be no shortage of supporters of the 4T (López Obrador’s “fourth transformation” movement) who will argue: What difference does it make? Nothing happens in these forums.
López Obrador himself has taken to affirming the same in his increasingly contentious rhetoric against the U.N. But let’s see what actually did happen at two of these forums.
At the G20, the chess game of global governance is being decided as other groups coalesce, such as the expanded BRICS.
And both at this summit and in the U.N. General Assembly, what sometimes matters more than anything else are the bilateral meetings of leaders that take place in parallel. The absence of the Mexican head of state means that our country lost opportunities for dialogue.
What is López Obrador’s international vision?
The last month seems to have come full circle in our country’s current international vision, with Mexico’s return to the G-77, an international forum that we abandoned as irrelevant in 1994 when we joined the OECD, and with a photo-op of the Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary with her Russian counterpart in New York. Body language says a lot about the utter tone-deafness in this government when it comes to foreign policy and current events.
The cluelessness with which our president operates culminated in reversing himself, announcing that despite having previously confirmed his attendance, he wouldn’t be attending the APEC Summit in San Francisco in November (he since has pulled a U-turn on this, affirming a couple of weeks ago that he has reconsidered and would, after all, participate). The reason he gave at the time? The participation of Peru, a country with which “we have no relations”, according to López Obrador, though the two countries continue to have diplomatic relations.
This last invective leads us to the cherry on the cake of these shocking 10 days of foreign policy blunders.
Is López Obrador provoking the U.S.?
It is not entirely clear whether the real reason for López Obrador’s about face regarding the APEC Summit had to do with Peruvian participation, or if in reality, this is nothing more than a smokescreen to cover up the fact that U.S. diplomats may have at the time nixed a bilateral meeting between López Obrador and Biden on the sidelines of the summit. This is perhaps not surprising in the context of the shameful and unjustifiable decision to permit a Russian contingent to participate in the Independence Day parade on Sept. 16.
The president claims that critics have made “a lot of fuss” over the Russian presence in the parade. But let’s take a step back.
There is no doubt that the parade was an endorsement of authoritarian regimes with the contingents – Nicaraguan, Cuban, Venezuelan – that marched in it. But the Russian issue is a separate one: it is a provocation, international bravado directed against our main trading partner and neighbor, and against the European Union and the nations that have supported Ukraine in confronting and repelling the Russian aggression.
Since the last time Russia participated in a National Independence military parade during the bicentennial of our independence in 2010, Moscow has twice – in 2014 with the illegal annexation of Crimea, and now in 2022 with the attack on the rest of Ukraine – violated international law and the U.N. charter, invading without justification and in a premeditated manner an independent and sovereign nation. And for good measure, Putin has an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Russian troops on Ukrainian soil.
This latest cascade of mistakes is like a torpedo below the waterline of Mexico’s reputation and credibility in the main diplomatic capitals of the world.
What these 10 fateful days of Mexican diplomacy – or the lack thereof – have shown is a president and an administration without a moral compass and a geopolitical north star. Above all, this reveals that this particular “style” of stale, clumsy presidential diplomacy does take its toll on our country.
Biden will ensure that the relationship with Mexico is not derailed at a time when migratory flows to the U.S. are once again increasing in a vertiginous – and electorally dangerous – manner. But in a US presidential campaign where the GOP and GOP presidential contenders are resorting to Mexico-bashing as if the country were a piñata, perceptions can become reality.
With Lopez Obrador’s evisceration of security, intelligence and law-enforcement cooperation with the U.S., his narrative that fentanyl is not produced in Mexico and that it is “not Mexico’s problem”, and now – in the immediate aftermath of the horrific terrorist attack by Hamas against Israelis – his refusal to condemn Hamas and call it what it is, a terrorist organization, the president is stirring up hurricanes in the relationship with the U.S., with members of Congress of both parties, and with public opinion in general.
If we take into account that in a summer survey of U.S. voters who identify themselves as Republicans, 46% (compared to 18% in 2021) say Mexico is “perceived” as an “enemy” of the U.S., and that in a new poll out last week, a strong majority of people in the United States believe that the U.S. and Mexico have equal responsibility for stopping illegal immigration and drug trafficking, yet only 16% see Mexico as a “close ally”, I can’t tell you what images of Russian soldiers in the Zócalo will do to our major trading partner’s perceptions of Mexico, in the run-up to a presidential election.
This article was originally published in El Universal newspaper.
Arturo Sarukhan has had a distinguished education and career, serving as Mexico’s ambassador to the U.S. (2007-2013), and in additional advisory roles in both Mexico and the U.S. Currently based in Washington, D.C., he writes about international issues for various media outlets and is a regular opinion columnist published on Mexico News Daily.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mexico News Daily, its owner or its employees.
Amazing…the direction Mexico has been heading since AMLO arrived. “Mexico…so close to the United States and so far from God” or “Mexico with AMLO…so far from 21st Century political & economic reality and so close
to ruin after years of the NARCO War.”
Not all of your U.S. Expat readers in Mexico support the current U.S. Administration´s positions on Ukraine, Russia, Israel, Hamas, and Palestine.
Then, those expats should change their citizenship to be part of the emerging fascist society that is increasingly aligned with those others. Yes, more Nazi weddings!!
Agree with Chris. I don’t agree with alot of US Policy but the Russia-Ukraine war is unjustifiable.
“If you don’t agree with everything the president does, you should renounce your citizenship” is an embarrassingly bad take.
Exactly right. This column may as well have been written by an American hawk. Very disappointing and makes me question the direction MND is going. Is it becoming a tool for US propaganda?
Very well written and factual most fake news in Mexico like USA protects liberals and bad actions.Mexicans need to be exposed to these atrocities going on Big Changes Are Coming in the World Watch Out!!
> What difference does it make? Nothing happens in these forums.
Indeed. The first rule of foreign relations is showing up.
As I attempt to understand AMLO and reduce his actions to motivations, I see little more than low-substance populism, and a certain glee at achieving an office that eluded him heretofore. What will interest me next is determining whether Morena, going forward, will be similarly shallow.
No doubt that being chief executive of México is a tricky business, and calls for a slightly different skill set than the same position in my native Estados Unidos. Whatever the particulars, it’s clear that AMLO appears inadequate for the job, and that Mexico is due for a specially talented Presidente.
Congratulations on the column, Sr. Sarukhan.
LQ
The hardworking family valuing democracy practicing Mexican people deserve a government standing up for justice, accountability and freedom. Cozying up to the repressive authoritarian dictatorships which control Russia, Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela is a big foreign policy mistake, not in the best interests of Mexico.
Nearly everything you have said I find a reason to endorse AMLO
Indeed, it is heartening that Mexico is not a participant in the Western world lust for omnipotent power through military might.
And AMLO’s refusal to turn his back on Cuba and Venezuela shows moral courage.
AMLO is, and will be,
an inspirational legendary figure.
They are all liars!
AMLO is another Trump whose insecurity is so deep and so profound he is dysfunctional. Has his government or himself made any mistakes….not a chance according to AMLO. Who but a short man with “little man syndrom” would think spending $15 BILLION U.S. on the Mayan Train and building a monument to himself in his home town makes sense for Mexico? $15 Billion is $1,000 U.S. for every elementary child in Mexico….would that make a difference in anyone’s life? And as Ambassador Sarukhan points out, AMLO foreign policy is the same disaster by someone clearly an empty suit in over his head. If you never travel outside of your own country what do you really know of the world?
Bravo! As much as I like the culture and optimism for its economic progress. I’m glad MND exposed some of the warts under the current administrations leadership or lack thereof.
Mike, you are right to concur with the balanced reporting of MND including the “warts”.
I subscribed to MND (1) because of the quality and extent of its reporting and (2) because I was so tired of the mind-numbing propaganda in other english language medium (e.g., the Financial Times) against everything the Mexican government does. Now MND has brought on an opinion columnist who represents only one extreme strand in the Mexican political discourse and whose sophomoric bashing of the Mexican president only amplifies the views of anglophone elites. Particularly during an election year, it is essential that you provide balanced reporting and balanced opinion pieces, Mr. Bembenek. Please don’t disappoint your subscribers.
Oh, he is not disappointing at all. Do t worry too much
Could not agree with you more.
Great article! I have yet to meet a citizen of Mexico that has much good to say about AMLO
Well, I guess you are in your own silo
Great article. I have yet to meet a Me ican that has much good to say about AMLO.
There are plenty.
Agreed, he is still very popular despite his inadequacies. So is Trump. I feel AMLOS election was in response to Trumps victory. I didn’t vote for either of them, but they both represent very different ideologies in their respective countries.
As an international relations student, I believe that Sr. Sarukhan points out indicators of the rapidly growing and expanding influences of the Mexican President’s position. Confronting the Mexican President is the past decade’s outcome of the move toward near-shoring, which aims at closer regional manufacturing and industrialization that supports US/CAN markets and customers resulting from Western transitions away from China toward Mexico. Near-shoring brought increased wealth to Mexico, the U.S.’s largest trade partner. The residual effect is increasing power and influence for any Mexican Presidential authority—specifically influence within Central and Latin America. Coupled with a geographical advantage that Mexico has always had with sharing a border to the North with the wealthiest nation in the history of the world, and which has seen millions of migrants and refugees moving through it from nations South, Mexico is well positioned for an expansion of many forms of influence. As mentioned above, none of those results from AMLO’s policies, but they have increased in spite. The obvious question is whether AMLO (or the next President) is the right person to address all this. I assert that AMLO is sort of, but only partially, and he is wise to recognize where he can exert his influence most effectively as THE regional hegemon. Objectively, there were states, specifically Venezuela (pre-Chavez), Argentina, and maybe Brazil, in the last two to three decades that could have assumed the hegemonic role, but due to failed economics and politics, none are capable or well-suited. While the security of the Mexican state will always be in question, the actions of the Cartels do not negatively impact or affect Mexico’s hegemonic aspirations, but to the contrary, may bolster it instead. I guess AMLO has weighed and evaluated the direction and vision for the future. The Morena party’s firm lock ensures his successor carries on the strategy and vision after he leaves. I assert that nations must be members of a collective security agreement like NATO or some other alliance to exert global power and influence. Being a member of NATO and doling out money to foreign governments generates enormous leverage. Mexico does not have or do any of that, and this is why Mexico cannot join the club; however, it can work to establish its club within its hegemonic region.
At least you’re honest, your very conservative politics is on broad display here. So now Mexico News Daily rushes to join the journalistic cadre if “Gringo Gazette.” Truly disappointing to all but the Mexican/U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “Fair and Balanced” “news” much?
I am not a member couldn’t read the article but can read these comments right now for some reason.
I have been watching AMLO with an open mind and have also seen much that concerns me. Not sure what his vision is for the country but I think that we will see downstream effects from the undercutting of the internationally acclaimed Federal Elections department and handing over large swaths of government duties to the military. I hope not, but it does not look good.
For those who criticize the viewpoint of a highly informed and qualified commentator because it does not fit the perspective you wish to hold, well, try to listen and at least entertain the ideas as valid. And no, failing to be a “yes-man” for a foreign leader or a racial minority or whatever does not make you a hater. It’s entirely possible that people who criticize in a given direction are actually addressing policy and action , not race gender or nationality. That is a very weak form of rebuttal and does not do well for whatever viewpoint you wish to promote.
The ultra-conservative ideology of Sarukhan is in full display. He supported the most corrupt government -of Peña Nieto-: privatization and favoring big corporations versus Mexico’s population prosperity.
I’m disappointed that this magazine is choosing to amplify misleading right wing’s messages. The least you could do is to balance the information you provide, or it is time to unsubscribe.
I think you have a choice to read him, or not. His is an Opinion column, does not appear to be the leaning of MDN.
I hope you’re right.
Mexico is a democracy with total freedom of speech and of opinion. Thus Mexico also has the freedom to invite whoever it likes to its military parade. Is Uncle Sam envious of Mexico’s democratic freedom? Is Arturo Surukhan trying to divide Mexico by dictating America’s vision of freedom of democracy? Has he his eye on the presidency himself?
Amlo. Amlo. Amlo. My dear presidente whom I voted for in elections he lost and won. He does have a tendency for wanting revenge against those he feels have worked against him (read ex-Mexican Presidents and the USA has certainly dirted their hands in that regard, trying to keep him out of office). It’s not an attractive quality my dear presidente. Unfortunately, over these last 5 years, I have lost a lot of my prior admiration for Manuel Andres.
Nonetheless, he has a 60% favorability amoung the Mexican electorate. He has inacted beneficial reforms that have postively helped the poor, the elderly, the working class and students. I love him for helping those that most need help in México.
However, I loathe his dirty energy policies and his continued support of the the biggest crime syndicates in Mexico – PEMEX, CFE & Cartels. He could, if he wished, reign in the abuses of CFE and PEMEX. He should restart the numerous clean energy projects that his administration has delayed and blocked.
Finally, what to do about Mexico’s most powerful Cartels that are disgustingly rich and have global influence which they use to influence politics and events that fall within their arena of illegal businesses? AMLO made a deal with the devil by arms length embrace of the cartels, accepting their money for political reasons while turning a blind eye to the extortion, trafficking and influence peddling.
Here’s hoping Claudia is a better president than our current presidente.
picking a favorite politician is like picking a favorite venereal disease… whichever you choose, you’re getting screwed and are going to live with your choice for a long time. So AMLO is not perfect, nor will his successor be. However, those little “crabs” are nothing compared to the “syphilis” that the US system is. Perception is reality, making image critically important. Hire him a PR team. However, I can appreciate his “neutrality” argument and not wanting to comment on some of these global issues, even if it sounds a little weak and indecisive. With the current growth and investment in Mexico, it finds itself in a new global position and will need it’s politicians to have solid foreign policy plans moving forward. As quickly as everything shifted to Mexico’s favor, it can also disappear.
Excellent, detailed, and well informed opinion piece.
However, it was sorely lacking in communicating Alternative perspectives. It is possible to have an opinion while still presenting both sides of the story.
MND – I appreciate the addition of more in-depth analysis, but if you’re going to put up an opinion piece so one-sided, can you at least balance it out with an equally biased opinion piece from the other side?
What a piece of pro American invective. The war in Ukraine continues because the US nixed a peace deal that Ukraine was ready to sign. Russia has every right to oppose being surrounded by the US military force known as NATO, and to protect it’s people in the Donbas. Each country is a chess piece to Americans, Mexico included and this column is about getting Mexico on, frankly, the wrong side of truth and history. Is MND becoming a US mouthpiece?