US-Mexico tensions darken visit of President Felipe Calder贸n
| Washington
US-Mexico relations are never simple or care-free. But rising drug violence concentrated in Mexico鈥檚 border communities and Arizona鈥檚 new anti-illegal-immigration law provide a particularly difficult backdrop for Mexican President Felipe Calder贸n's state visit to Washington Wednesday.
President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will be all smiles when they greet President Calder贸n and Mexican first lady Margarita Zavala for a full day's visit, which includes a press conference, State Department lunch, and a White House state dinner.
The Obamas are having guest chef Rick Bayless from their favorite Mexican restaurant in Chicago, Topolobambo, prepare the evening meal.
But the festivities won鈥檛 be able to cover over tensions in the relationship, including US concerns about corruption in the Mexican security forces and Obama鈥檚 failure to resolve a controversy over a NAFTA provision to allow Mexican trucks on US highways.
Compared to the last state visit by a Mexican president 鈥� when 鈥淛orge鈥� Bush received Vicente Fox in 2001 鈥� the atmosphere today is considerably darker, many experts say.
鈥淚n 2001 there was real optimism, you had this sense of democracy blooming in Mexico and a sense in Washington that the post-cold-war adjustments were allowing the US to focus on the hemisphere, and both developments were encouraging people to think big thoughts about the relationship,鈥� says Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Americas Society/Council of the Americas in Washington.
'Difficult and vexing issues'
鈥淏ut today there鈥檚 an absence of big ideas, and instead we鈥檙e focused on managing some very difficult and vexing issues,鈥� he adds. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a more somber, pragmatic tone to relations.鈥�
One of the 鈥渂ig ideas鈥� that Mr. Fox brought north with him in September 2001 was that of a North American community that would eventually include the free movement of people. Those days seem especially distant after years of border fence construction and now Arizona鈥檚 law tasking local police with questioning and detaining suspected illegal immigrants.
Neither president will be happy with the way the Arizona law has thrust immigration back on to the binational agenda, Mr. Farnsworth says. But he adds that the new 鈥減ragmatism鈥� he senses also means that both sides may be ready to come up with some new practical solutions to respective worries about the border. The US wants to see a drop in the number of people crossing north, and Mexico wants to stop the flow of illegal weapons south 鈥� weapons that too often are arming Mexico鈥檚 violent drug cartels.
The Obama administration is seeking to focus attention on the promise of new economic development and cooperation to help address the immigration issue. The White House also trumpets how it has sought to redirect the $1.3 billion Merida Initiative, first signed with Mexico by the Bush administration, away from providing military hardware to 鈥渂uilding strong and resilient communities鈥� in Mexico鈥檚 border states.
A senior administration official said Tuesday in previewing Calder贸n鈥檚 visit that Obama is focused on a 鈥渇our-pronged strategy鈥� for addressing the rising drug-related violence focused in Mexico鈥檚 border states that includes disrupting the operations of the drug-trafficking organizations; strengthening institutions including local law enforcement and the judiciary; creating a 鈥渕ore efficient鈥� border than encourages economic development; and community development.
But some prominent experts in US-Mexico relations say that no amount of cooperation and mutual respect is going to make a difference until Mexico changes fundamentally, both politically and socially.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 imagine my views will be the most popular at the State Department lunch,鈥� says George Grayson, a Mexico expert at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., who is on the guest list for Wednesday鈥檚 lunch with Calder贸n. 鈥淏ut the future of Mexico lies in Mexico, and it鈥檚 not the United States that is going to save or doom its neighbor.鈥�
Glimmers of hope
Some glimmers of hope have shone through in recent years, Mr. Grayson says.
For example, he points to the professionalism and growing capacity of Mexico鈥檚 Navy (as opposed to the Army, he adds) to take on the drug cartels. But he insists that until Mexico鈥檚 elites shoulder more of the responsibility for their country鈥檚 growth and progress 鈥� by paying rather than evading taxes, and by demanding sound education and healthcare systems that will promote economic growth 鈥� Mexico鈥檚 fundamental problems will not be addressed.
鈥淭he elites are used to the US coming to the rescue and acting as Mexico鈥檚 safety net so they don鈥檛 have to face their responsibilities,鈥� Grayson says, pointing to a border that has worked as a migratory 鈥渟afety valve鈥� for decades and the 1994 rescue from the peso collapse. 鈥淚t鈥檚 time now for a dose of tough love in the relationship.鈥�
But does he expect Obama, who has not shied away in other foreign venues from a theme of responsibility, to mention the perspective with Calder贸n? 鈥�Ni una palabra,鈥� he says with a chuckle. 鈥淣ot a word.鈥�
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Mexico killings: President Calder贸n visits Juarez to tout new social programs
