The Mexico's relations with the United States: the asymmetry and the interdependence

Abstract

The objective of this project is to analyze Mexico's relations with the United States from the debt crisis of the 1980s. The hypothesis is that, despite the remarkable asymmetry between them, they are interdependent. While on the one hand the association with the US limits Mexican international insertion, on the other hand it gives it greater bargaining power because of the magnitude of the economic and social bonds established. In addition to the two countries sharing an extensive border, interdependence is present in trade, productive ties and the 35 million Mexicans living in the neighboring country. In this sense, the relation between both has a strong structural character and can not be broken. It is argued that Mexico has significant bargaining power vis-a-vis the United States. The problem with its foreign policy lies in its inability to reduce asymmetry vis-à-vis its neighbor and not being able to intensify cooperation with other States and regions, thus gaining more autonomy. For example, Mexico did not accept US troops to fight drug trafficking, but it can not negotiate a migratory policy with the United States. Recent proposals, such as the exit of the United States from NAFTA and the review of Mexico's international insertion strategy, find strong resistance. The project analyzes the relationship of dependence and interdependence between Mexico and the United States, in the economic and social dimensions, bringing its implications for the Mexican international insertion and its development strategy. (AU)