Mexico bills allows privatization of oil

This article from chron.com Deals lag, as does Mexico's oil output deals with Mexico not being able to access most of its oil in the Gulf of Mexico because the company Pemex doesn't have the technology for exploration. A recently passed bill will allow Pemex to make deals with foreign companies for oil exploration. This is a big deal, because oil in Mexico was previously state operated. But so far, Pemex hasn't made any deals, so oil production has slumped.

As a country that is seeking democratization, this bill is very important. The privatization of this market will allow the people of Mexico to benefit more from their natural resources since they will be able to get to them. This article also shows that reform in Mexico is slow and has much resistance, since the passing of this bill still has not allowed Pemex to access the oil

Gay Marriage in Mexico

The article, Gay Marriage Puts Mexico City at Center of Debate, from the New York Times, talks about the gay rights movement in Mexico and how the national government feels about gay marriage vs. the local government.

Mexico City is a liberal "enclave" in the largely conservative country, and after 30 years of activism, Mexico City passed on Dec. 22, 2009, a new law which goes into effect March 4, that will legalize gay marriage and allow same-sex couples to adopt. This has brought Mexico City onto the big stage of the global gay rights movement, and has brought with it much anger and opposition within Mexico. Mexico's National Action Party did an "unscientific poll" and found "just over half of the respondents disapproved of gay marriage and about three-quarters opposed adoption by same-sex couples." This and the apparent disapproval of this new law in Mexico City by the President and national government, show how large the cleavage between Mexico City's views and the rest of Mexico is. The Catholic Church has gotten itself involved and many groups have asked the government to intervene in Mexico City's decision. This was a huge “political gamble” for Mexico City’s mayor, Marcelo Ebrard who was thinking about running for president in 2012, his liberal views are not popular throughout Mexico. The article goes on to talk about other Latin American countries and how reform has been growing across Latin America, “Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia all recognize some form of civil unions.”

This is a topic that has found its way into every country, and is important to look at when comparing the amount of civil rights given to a country’s people. This issue shows the ideological cleavage between the minority liberals in Mexico, to the obvious majority of conservatives. Public policy also comes into play with this discussion, allowing gay marriages in Mexico City and the national government not abusing its powers to get this new law out, are steps forward in a democratic nation whether you personally agree with gay marriage or not.

Mexican Military Offensive Against Drug Violence Ineffective

In the Time article How Mexico's Drug War May Become Its Iraq, Ioan Grillo describes Mexico's efforts to curtail drug violence throughout the country, and how its citizens do not have confidence in the military presence. Violence has only increased recently, with January being the bloodiest month in the drug war. The military has also been criticized for only targeting some drug cartels, which strengthens rival cartels. In a poll, half of Mexicans believed the government involvement had only increased the violence, while only 20% thought it had made the country safer. The United States has made agreements with Mexico to work together on security

Comparativists should look at this article to examine citizens, society and the state. Mexico is in the position of having to use its military against its own people. The violence is not aimed at the government and is not political in nature, but the organized crime has gotten so out of control that it must be dealt with like a full on war. This is proving difficult for the military to control, since a drug cartels goal is to evade the soldiers to continue with illegal activity, as opposed to a front in a war.

Drug Wars Hinder Juarez Economy

The recent economic woes in Juarez perpetuated by the Mexican drug wars is addressed in the BBC article Border city of Juarez pays price of Mexico drugs war. Up to 100,000 people and 5,000 shops have been forced out of the city of Juarez since the escalation of the drug war in 2006. President Felipe Calderon announced for "the creation of a task force to draw up a new economic plan for the city." With 45% of the GDP of Chihuahua produced by the city of Juarez, and more than "300 maquiladoras - the factories that reassemble imported material and then export the finished product, mainly to the US - in and around the city", it is easy to see how pertinent of an economic threat the drug war can pose, especially when coupled with the impact of a retarding American economy.

As if financial issues were not enough for business owners, Juarez is also notorious for cases of extortion. Head of Juarez's local chamber of commerce, Daniel Murguia, claims that business owners have to succumb to this threat because "there is no institution that helps them."

This article is relevant to our comparative government class because it addresses the deteriorating civic culture in Juarez because of the economic woes. With a lower standard of living induced by the recession and violence and the constant threat of extortion, citizens not only feel unsafe but as well begin to question the means of authority of the government. It will be interesting to see how Calderon will be able to address the citizens discontent with his new economic agenda.

New Plan for Ciudad Juarez

The article A "dying" city protests from The Economist this past week talks about Mexico's war on drugs and what actions the president has taken to improve the situation.

On February 11th president Felipe Calderon went to the crime infested Ciudad Juarez for a public safety meeting. Ciudad Juarez is Mexico's 5th largest city and is " the world's deadliest city outside a war zone." Mr. Calderon did not get a very warm welcome in Juarez because of the continued rate of violence in the city after three years of the president saying he was combating the drug gangs, and because of the lack of efficiency of the troops sent to stop the violence and murders. The president visited the city again on the 17th seeking to "make amends" for calling the 18 teenagers who were recently murdered at a party "gangsters". This second visit is important because, "although polls showed initial skepticism towards his plan and his visit, on his second trip his talks with community groups suggested broad agreement on the new strategy."

The President's new "emergency plan" calls for an increase of police along with social and economic reforms which are necessary to diminish the power of the drug gangs in the community. These reforms include "investment in health, education, child care and sports facilities." The recession has left many people out of work and out of school, they don't have many alternatives to joining the gangs which is a major problem the president is trying to face in his new plan. New schools, more hospitals, more parks and more cultural facilities need to be built to help Ciudad Juarez grow away from the drug gangs.

Ciudad Juarez's police has been seen as corrupt, and police lines were recently tapped, giving the drug gangs dangerous information. Also, the troops that were sent to the city are not liked by the citizens because of the many illegal searches and overall lack of good they have done. Hopefully much of this will change after these new plans are put in place and real reform will be seen in Ciudad Juarez.

This article is important for Comparativists to look at because it shows public policy in Mexico and it will be important to see how these policies are enacted and how effective they are. This is also important because of the large impact this war on drugs has on the lives of people living in Mexico, and these new reforms could mean a more prominent and active civil society in Ciudad Juarez and Northern Mexico.

Housing US prisoners in Mexico jails

BBC News article: Schwarzenegger proposes Mexican jails take US inmates

Governor of the U.S. state of California Arnold Schwarzenegger suggested that special prisons in Mexico be built partially with U.S. money. The governor declared a state of fiscal emergency in California, where the prisons are some of the most crowded and underfunded in the United States. Building prisons and housing inmates would be a lot cheaper in Mexico than in California, saving an estimated billion dollars.

Several areas of this article relate to concepts in comparative government. The proposed partnership between the United States and Mexico in housing prisoners is a result of political and economic change. California has limited resources and is overcrowded, while Mexico is in need of money for their economy

Drug War Obscures Recent Headway in Mexico's Stability

photo courtesy of flickr

The drug wars that have been plaguing Mexico since 2006 obscure a falling homicide rate, as addressed in this CNN article: Amid Drug War, Mexico Less Deadly Than a Decade Ago. It is surprising to find that Mexico City's homicide rates are on par with Los Angeles and a third of that for Washington D.C. Yet Americans are more weary than ever to visit Mexico; a blow to tourism, Mexico's third-largest source of foreign income. According to the article "Mexico's homicide rate has fallen steadily from a high in 1997 of 17 per 100,000 people to 14 per 100,000 in 2009." However, dually noted, the article does admit that the drug violence has turned the Pacific coast, and U.S. border regions of Mexico into some of the most deadliest places in the world.

So how exactly has the homicide rate dropped in the presence of an increase in drug violence? Well, land disputes have eased as farmers migrate to cities or abroad leaving the civic unrest of the Zapatista uprisings of the 1990s behind. In light of a decreased homicide rate attributed to a improvement in the Mexican quality of life, Mexico looks more dangerous than ever to tourists with the looming reminder of drug wars.

This article is valid in our comparative government class because it presents an interesting fact: the Mexican quality of life has improved over the decade amidst the drug wars. It also addresses a period of civic unrest in Mexican history, that is the Zapatista uprisings of farmers, which was not surprisingly followed by a change of politics and a new level of legitamacy ushered in by Vicente Fox. Equally as pertinent, Mexico has had a growing middle class and rising education levels and life expectancy. All these things are critical to a democracy; however if these traits are prerequisites to democracy, or rather the outcomes of democracy is debatable.

A Mexican Cult

The Economist article, A Mexican Cult: Death in holy orders is about the cult of Holy Death that has been rising in popularity throughout Mexico. Santa Muerte (Saint Death) is not actually considered a Saint by the Church, but "some 2m Mexicans are said to worship [her]." Santa Muerte is depicted as a skeleton holding a scythe and a globe, and wearing a hood and tunic. She is believed to be the protector of both the law-abiders and criminals, so she is popular in many jails, and she is also often shown smoking a joint and accepts offerings of tequila and beer.

Bishop's in Mexico have deemed this cult as satanic, and the government has withdrawn official recognition from churches that recognize and incorporate Santa Muerte. This, and the fact that the government has destroyed about 30 altars devoted to Santa Muerte on the grounds that they were suspected in drug trafficking, has made many followers angry and rallies were held in Mexico City demanding religious freedom.

This article is interesting to look at in Comparative Politics, because it brings up the question of Legitimacy. If the people think that the government is taking away their freedom of religion than that will raise questions as to how democratic Mexico is, and people will wonder how real their Civil Rights actually are.