[Runde’s] view of international development is transformational, where outside assistance can catalyze internal reforms and lead to broad-based economic growth.
In particular, discussions around history tend to ignore the need to teach students about Latin America and the Caribbean and how interconnected the world has become. This hole in the U.S. education system is reflected in a lack of attention to the region in U.S. foreign policy. To bolster engagement with the rest of the Americas, the United States should expand its education system’s coverage of Inter-American history and Latin American studies.
On Sunday, Mexicans took to the streets across the nation to protest President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s plan to replace the National Electoral Institute (INE) with directly elected delegates.
The 2022 U.S. midterm election results cement a trend that impacts U.S.-Latin American policy—hardline positions are largely bipartisan in Florida… a key question is whether Biden is willing to risk alienating elements of his own party to make changes in his foreign policy toward Latin America.
Without public buy-in, it will be difficult for U.S.-Latin American relations to endure changing administrations or the twenty-four-hour news cycle. Connecting U.S. public support and business interests through government action can create avenues for long-lasting policy.
AMLO’s increasing need for the PRC and its resources is already manifesting itself in subtle compromises that his administration has made towards Chinese companies with respect to lithium, and possibly electricity generation, among other areas.
Last week, widespread arsons, hijackings, and shootings prompted the government to deploy federal and national guard troops across Mexico. Mexico’s Security Cabinet reported 260 people died during the four days that armed gangs shot civilians, conducted “narco blockades,” and set fire to shops, buses, and cars.
Despite some of AMLO’s actions effectively limit security cooperation with the U.S., such as the 2020 National Security Law, the U.S.-Mexico security relationship remains strong at the institutional level.
On Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden met with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in the Oval Office.
