Mexican President Felipe Calderon took office a year ago under inauspicious circumstances--emerging with a bare plurality in a bitter three-way race, accused of stealing the election, facing paralysis in the national capital as supporters of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took to the streets.
Today, at least one poll has his approval rating over 60 percent. The apparent seriousness of his war on drug cartels, and his relatively quick response to the catastrophic floods in Tabasco, are winning over many people, it seems. He has five more years to consolidate these gains.
A full six years of good government could get Mexico out of two centuries of malaise and on the road to a real, functioning, prosperous democratic country. Think it can't be done? Spain did it, overcoming an equally bleak legacy that not so long ago, seemed to doom that country to near third-world status.
Read an English report on Calderon's one-year anniversary speech here.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Calderon stays focused on growth
Mexico's President Calderon appears to be working hard to jumpstart his nation's economy, pushing major new investment in infrastructure and pledging to promote more competition in telecom.Reuters reports.
Under the Mexican political system, he has one six-year term to accomplish his agenda. There is no reelection. If Mexico's economy can't do a better job of delivering better life to millions of Mexicans in that time period, the left wing has an excellent chance of getting into power.
But if Calderon can subdue drug rings and other criminal activity while getting Mexico's economy to come closer to its potential, he could establish a dynasty for his party and his economic philosophy.
Free market economic theory is highly suspect among many in Mexico. The last few presidents from the former ruling party, PRI, espoused an opening of Mexico's economy along free market lines, breaking away from the party's tradition of left-wing rhetoric to mask a system of old-fashioned cronyism and kleptocracy. The free market "neoliberals" talked a good fight, but many Mexicans felt that their prospects were getting worse instead of better. Vicente Fox, the first non-PRI president in decades, could not do much to reverse that trend--altho some observers say some of his measures did help Mexico's middle class.
But Lopez Obrador, promising a turn back to a more populist approach, came within an eyelash of winning the presidency--Calderon got little more than a third of the vote in a three-party contest. That's hardly a mandate.
So a lot is riding on the success of his economic policy. Mexicans may not be in a mood to give free-market, pro-U.S. policies another chance if Calderon's ambitious rhetoric turns out to be empty.
Under the Mexican political system, he has one six-year term to accomplish his agenda. There is no reelection. If Mexico's economy can't do a better job of delivering better life to millions of Mexicans in that time period, the left wing has an excellent chance of getting into power.
But if Calderon can subdue drug rings and other criminal activity while getting Mexico's economy to come closer to its potential, he could establish a dynasty for his party and his economic philosophy.
Free market economic theory is highly suspect among many in Mexico. The last few presidents from the former ruling party, PRI, espoused an opening of Mexico's economy along free market lines, breaking away from the party's tradition of left-wing rhetoric to mask a system of old-fashioned cronyism and kleptocracy. The free market "neoliberals" talked a good fight, but many Mexicans felt that their prospects were getting worse instead of better. Vicente Fox, the first non-PRI president in decades, could not do much to reverse that trend--altho some observers say some of his measures did help Mexico's middle class.
But Lopez Obrador, promising a turn back to a more populist approach, came within an eyelash of winning the presidency--Calderon got little more than a third of the vote in a three-party contest. That's hardly a mandate.
So a lot is riding on the success of his economic policy. Mexicans may not be in a mood to give free-market, pro-U.S. policies another chance if Calderon's ambitious rhetoric turns out to be empty.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
War on drugs
We talk about a war on drugs, but in Mexico the use of the word "war" is no exaggeration. In a Reuters report on U.S. efforts to extradite a drug lord (lady?) known as the Queen of the Pacific, the reporter notes in passing that the war between rival Mexican drug gangs has claimed 2,300 lives this year. You read that right.
Come to think of it, that's not a "war on drugs." More like a "war over drugs."
President Calderon, however, appears to be waging a "war on drugs," putting 25,000 troops into action against the drug gangs, in the evident belief that just waiting for them to kill each other would not really work, tempting though that might be.
I said he "appears to be waging" this war because things in Mexico are not always (not hardly ever) what they seem. I have no reason to doubt Sr. Calderon's integrity, I would hasten to add.
I would only observe that in Mexico, an attempt to crack down on illegal activity has sometimes been little more than an attempt by people in authority to take over that activity and the income to be derived from it.
I recall during my days in El Paso in the 1970s, a new governor in Chihuahua state launched a ballyhooed crackdown on prostitution in Cd. Juarez. The old Mexico hands were laughing about it. Every new governor does this, they said--getting the whorehouses on board, plugged into their power structure, paying the proper portion of proceeds.
Of course, that was the bad old days of the PRI's one-party control. One hopes that Calderon is what he appears to be.
Come to think of it, that's not a "war on drugs." More like a "war over drugs."
President Calderon, however, appears to be waging a "war on drugs," putting 25,000 troops into action against the drug gangs, in the evident belief that just waiting for them to kill each other would not really work, tempting though that might be.
I said he "appears to be waging" this war because things in Mexico are not always (not hardly ever) what they seem. I have no reason to doubt Sr. Calderon's integrity, I would hasten to add.
I would only observe that in Mexico, an attempt to crack down on illegal activity has sometimes been little more than an attempt by people in authority to take over that activity and the income to be derived from it.
I recall during my days in El Paso in the 1970s, a new governor in Chihuahua state launched a ballyhooed crackdown on prostitution in Cd. Juarez. The old Mexico hands were laughing about it. Every new governor does this, they said--getting the whorehouses on board, plugged into their power structure, paying the proper portion of proceeds.
Of course, that was the bad old days of the PRI's one-party control. One hopes that Calderon is what he appears to be.
Calderon wants more jobs
Mexican President Felipe Calderon says he's ready to cut power rates for big industrial users, lest energy costs inhibit economic growth. Bloomberg has a short report.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Oil spill
An oil spill and fire at an offshore platform operated by Pemex, the Mexican national oil company, hasn't gotten much publicity here, but it's apparently a big mess for the environment and a big black eye for Pemex.
The trouble started with
a collision that killed 21 workers and touched off fires that have been extinguished only to ignite again. The well apparently is belching flammable natural gas and toxic hydrogen sulfide--a nasty mix for sure.
As the Herald Tribune article above indicates, some people are seeing this as an example of Pemex incompetence.
Meanwhile, the lost oil production is costing Pemex $400,000 a day, according to El Financiero and other media outlets.
Some of the spilled oil has been contained, but some is showing up on Mexican beaches, where cleanup crews reportedly are excavating the contaminated sand for disposal. Somewhere.
The trouble started with
a collision that killed 21 workers and touched off fires that have been extinguished only to ignite again. The well apparently is belching flammable natural gas and toxic hydrogen sulfide--a nasty mix for sure.
As the Herald Tribune article above indicates, some people are seeing this as an example of Pemex incompetence.
Meanwhile, the lost oil production is costing Pemex $400,000 a day, according to El Financiero and other media outlets.
Some of the spilled oil has been contained, but some is showing up on Mexican beaches, where cleanup crews reportedly are excavating the contaminated sand for disposal. Somewhere.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Music of Mexico
I like Mexican music, having acquired a taste for it listening to Juarez-based stations during my years in El Paso, Texas.
But now, living in Washington state, that music is a lot harder to find.
The answer:
Pandora Radio, an awesome online music service that's free. You simply register, then enter the name of a favorite artist, and Pandora will create a "radio station" that gives you music from that artist, plus other music that's similar. With a click of the mouse you can get more info on the artist or on the specific recording being played, and of course, you can also link to sites that let you purchase the music.
For Mexican music, I have Pandora stations based on Flaco Jimenez, for an accordion-based "norteno" sound (Jimenez was from south Texas) and Lola Beltran. On the Beltran channel you'll hear Mariachi Vargas, Vicente Fernandez, Pedro Infante and others in a mariachi "ranchera" style. Both excellent accompaniments to a good Mexican dinner.
I also have channels based on Elmore James, Art Pepper, Don Cherry, Coleman Hawkins, Gene Autry, Son House...It's pretty addictive, if you have a lot of odd musical tastes that aren't indulged by your local radio stations and you don't feel like shelling out money for a satellite radio subscription.
But now, living in Washington state, that music is a lot harder to find.
The answer:
Pandora Radio, an awesome online music service that's free. You simply register, then enter the name of a favorite artist, and Pandora will create a "radio station" that gives you music from that artist, plus other music that's similar. With a click of the mouse you can get more info on the artist or on the specific recording being played, and of course, you can also link to sites that let you purchase the music.
For Mexican music, I have Pandora stations based on Flaco Jimenez, for an accordion-based "norteno" sound (Jimenez was from south Texas) and Lola Beltran. On the Beltran channel you'll hear Mariachi Vargas, Vicente Fernandez, Pedro Infante and others in a mariachi "ranchera" style. Both excellent accompaniments to a good Mexican dinner.
I also have channels based on Elmore James, Art Pepper, Don Cherry, Coleman Hawkins, Gene Autry, Son House...It's pretty addictive, if you have a lot of odd musical tastes that aren't indulged by your local radio stations and you don't feel like shelling out money for a satellite radio subscription.
Mas o menos
More or less. That was the answer that Washington Post reporter Ceci Connolly got when she visited Oaxaca and asked people if the city had gotten back to normal after the social upheavals that paralyzed the once-renowned tourist mecca last year. Her report is a nuanced one that portrays a city struggling to regain its bearings and revive its economy.
Bottom line: if the city can avoid further upheavals, tourists will find their way back for the food, the art, the colonial landmarks and the pre-Columbian ruins.
Meanwhile, blogger Jill Freidberg reminds Connolly (and the rest of us) that the upheavals in Oaxaca were symptoms of political and economic distress that have not gone away. Read her perspective here.
Oaxaca is high on the list of places I wish I had visited. May get there yet.
But while we enjoy Mexico's charms as a place to visit, we need to remember how deep and profound are its political and economic problems. Millions of Mexicans take huge risks to cross our borders because their own country offers them so little.
Bottom line: if the city can avoid further upheavals, tourists will find their way back for the food, the art, the colonial landmarks and the pre-Columbian ruins.
Meanwhile, blogger Jill Freidberg reminds Connolly (and the rest of us) that the upheavals in Oaxaca were symptoms of political and economic distress that have not gone away. Read her perspective here.
Oaxaca is high on the list of places I wish I had visited. May get there yet.
But while we enjoy Mexico's charms as a place to visit, we need to remember how deep and profound are its political and economic problems. Millions of Mexicans take huge risks to cross our borders because their own country offers them so little.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)