No sooner was Donald Trump sworn in as president of the United States than he tackled the most pressing issues of the day, like changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. “Beautiful ring” to it, he said.
Did I, as a semi ex-pat (six months in Mexico, six up north) somehow overlook reports of people thronging the streets of New York, Atlanta and L.A. chanting “Gulf of America!” or, inevitably, “G.O.A.!” for short?
A careful review of recent media revealed no such movement.
The only thing of interest I found was the reaction of the new president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, who proposed changing the name of all of North America to Mexican America, as it was called in a map from the 1600s which she displayed during her Jan. 8 presser with a sly smile.
The only problem with the past is that, like with the Bible, anyone, the devil included, can quote it for their own purpose. Nothing good comes of reaching too far into the past for claims to territory, as the Middle East all too clearly shows.
It was then that I remembered a flash of insight I had several years ago in Quito, Ecuador, when standing in the main square and looking at all the passersby. I realized: But, we’re all Americans! The whole hemisphere!
The United States makes a mistake in aggregating to itself the exclusive title of America when there are at least three: North, Central and South. Since all three Americas touch the body of water in question, it should be called The Gulf of the Americas. Not singular but plural.
And maybe out of that plurality a certain unity could emerge, in time, as it did in Europe where countries that hated each other for centuries joined forces and created the European Union. A more self-aware Western Hemisphere could find better and better ways to exchange goods, services and ideas, and, in time, might even unite into The United States of the Americas. That too has a sort of “beautiful ring” to it.
Richard Lourie is a writer who lives in San Miguel de Allende, GTO
Amen…
Couldn’t agree more! Pie in the sky I’m afraid.
Excellent idea!!!! Let’s all push it!
Just relieved to see “Gulf of Mexico” is on the map.
Gulf of the Americas does sound pretty good but until then, She is correct in stating that it will be the Gulf of Mexico to the world.
Mystified that Richard Lourie thinks that the Gulf of Mexico touches Central America, let alone South America. Which CA and SA countries? Looking at the map in his article, only Mexico, the US and Haiti touch it, all North American countries.
Cuba also ” touches” this gulf.
I like the spirit of the article but the Gulf in question doesn’t touch Central or South America. The author needs to review a map.
Hola about” Northern Caribean Sea” ?
I got called on calling myself an “americana” in South America back in the ’70’s, most deservedly, for that very reason. Aunque sea más torpe decir “estadounidense,” se lo hago.
Beautiful… romantic and geographical, but let’s not forget that the Gulf in question is full of petrol and that this rabbit might jump out of the hat soon.
BRAVO…..from Acapulco!
Naming things is somewhat important, but dismissive language by Trump toward the US’ neighbors is potentially consequential in a negative sense. Sheinbaum seems to be keeping her head and measuring her responses to Trump; i.e. not taking the bait. The US will very likely need friends in the coming years, and may not find them.