Politics: Bereft of a coherent foreign policy, Mexico stumbles on the world stage and reverts to policy stances of the 1970s
The disdain that President López Obrador has displayed toward the issues involved in Mexico's relationship with the world is summarized in his frequently used phrase to justify his indifference on the subject: "The best foreign policy is domestic policy." The consequences of the absence of any plan or strategic vision to defend or assert national interests have made Mexican foreign policy a disaster of this administration. Mexico's eroded image in the international arena is marked by a deterioration of relations with countries that are strategic allies, such as the United States and Spain, an ambiguous approach to strategic alliances, absence from international forums and missed opportunities to take advantage of geopolitical changes to benefit the country's economic interests, among others.
These weaknesses have been especially apparent in recent weeks as AMLO yet again skipped the UN General Assembly, the G20, and the APEC Leaders' Summit, and declined Washington’s invitation to join the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation. At the same time his government has been seen strengthening ties with the regimes of Russia, Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua and has now reversed the decision it had to make in 1994 when joining the OECD and has asked to rejoin the G77 (now plus China). He has also personally refused to condemn Hamas and its attacks on Israel.
This week we explore Mexico's foreign policy and how it includes elements that appear to be a throwback to the years when Mexico championed the cause of the "Third World" and the Non-Aligned Countries during the Cold War.
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