“We will fight this battle together or we will lose together” (in Spanish)

Poder, 12/30/2008
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza speaks candidly in this interview with Poder’s Dolia Estevez about drug trafficking, President Bush, Mexican journalists, and the state of the bilateral relationship.
Garza leaves office on January 20, 2009.
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Mexico and Cuba plan to strengthen ties in 2009 (in Spanish)

El Financiero, 12/30/2008
The Mexican and Cuban governments have programmed “activities to strengthen relations” throughout 2009, according to a press release from the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Relations. The dates have not yet been set, but “without a doubt” there will be a visit from Raúl Castro to Mexico and a reciprocal visit from Felipe Calderón [...]

Mexico’s Fiscal Prudence Fails to Avert a Slowdown

New York Times, 12/30/2008
Twice in the last three decades, Mexico has demonstrated that one country’s profligacy and mismanagement can spell economic catastrophe beyond its borders. In 1982, the country defaulted on its foreign debt and set off a Latin American debt crisis that led to a decade of anemic growth across the region. In 1994, [...]

Strategies for Mexico’s drug war

Los Angeles Times, 12/30/2008
At times, the fight against drug trafficking in Mexico seems hopeless. The body count grows steadily, each massacre seemingly more gruesome than the one before. The flow of drugs to America and Europe continues virtually unabated. The Times asked experts and public figures in the U.S., Mexico and other parts of Latin [...]

Mexico hands over record number of fugitives to U.S.

Reuters, 12/30/2008
Mexico turned over 85 alleged drug smugglers, murderers, sex offenders and other criminals to U.S. authorities this year, a record number of extraditions to the United States as Mexico struggles in a war against violent drug cartels.
Mexican and U.S. officials in recent years have increased cooperation against organized criminals shipping cocaine into the United [...]