This week, the Washington Post published an interview with Mexico’s President, Felipe Calderon. Interviewer Lally Weymouth questioned Calderon on some issues facing Mexico, both domestically and internationally. More often than not, the two are directly related. One issue that Calderon wants to focus his energy on is Mexico’s drug war. In relation to the US, Calderon recognizes that “the US has been very helpful,” but that “most of the weapons we [Mexican forces] seize … come from the United States.” Another topic of discussion was Mexico’s economy, which has been experiencing a recession of late. Some of the effects that the recession has had on Mexico’s economy is the “export of automotives in Mexico are down by almost 50 percent [ ... and ] the production of [Mexico's] oil production by 7 percent.” Oil production accounts for over a quarter of Mexico’s revenue.
This article emphasises the relationship between the United States and Mexico. As we read Wasserman, we have seen that the United States’ actions during the nineteenth century had crippling effects on Mexico. For this week, we read how over the course of the twentieth century, the development of railroads and attempts to industrialize the country and increase exports produced better conditions throughout Mexico and improved relations with other countries. This article shows that many twentieth century trends in Mexico still hold relevance and direction for Mexico today. -Seth M
Weymouth, Lally. 2010. “Mexican President Felipe Calderon, interviewed by Lally Weymouth.” Washington Post. February 7.
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