President Obama’s Upcoming Visit to Mexico: Related Resources

We are pleased to share with you the following resources and analysis in advance of President Obama’s trip to Mexico.

Media Briefing
On Friday, April 26th experts from the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute and Latin American Program participated in a media briefing on Obama’s trip to Mexico and Costa Rica.

• Audio and a transcript from the briefing are available here. 

Opinion Survey
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, in conjunction with the Woodrow Wilson Center, released a public opinion survey brief on Americans’ views toward Mexico. The survey results suggest that increased public awareness of bilateral endeavors could boost support for increased economic and energy integration in the future.

• A PDF of the survey is available here.

New Working Paper Series: Civic Engagement and Public Security in Mexico

The Woodrow Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute and the University of San Diego’s Trans-Border Institute are pleased to launch a working paper series on civic engagement and public security in Mexico.

The working papers analyze the range of civic engagement experiences taking place in Mexico to strengthen the rule of law and increase security in the face of organized crime violence.  In the coming weeks and months, the Mexico Institute and Trans-Border Institute will release papers that address topics relating to civic participation and public security, including citizen oversight of police professionalization, community-based efforts to respond to youth gang violence, Mexico’s victim’s movements, and citizen roles in implementing judicial reform in Mexico.  Together the commissioned papers will form the basis of an edited volume.

THIS SUNDAY on Dialogue at the Wilson Center

America’s Borders North & South

Sunday, April 7th, 10:30 am (EST)

This week on Dialogue at the Wilson Center we present a discussion of America’s borders. We begin with a look northward. Our guest is the director of the Wilson Center’s Canada Institute David Biette. We also turn our sights south to the U.S.-Mexico border with Christopher Wilson, an associate with the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute.

Watch live stream here.

TV Broadcast: Washington, DC and national.

NEW REPORT: Mexican Migration to the US – Economic Factors & Future Flows (Spanish)

The latest publication by the Regional Migration Study Group – a collaboration between the Woodrow Wilson Center and the Migration Policy Institute – addresses the economic factors that have influenced Mexican migration to the United States, and attempts to construct scenarios on how these migratory flows might change in the near future.

Click here to read the report…

New Resources: Immigration and Border Realities, Regional Competitiveness, Transboundary Hydrocarbons Agreement

The Mexico Institute is pleased to share with you the following new resources:

The New Reality at the Border

Andrew Selee, Vice President for Programs at the Wilson Center and Senior Advisor to the Mexico Institute, wrote an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times, titled “The New Reality at the Border.” Selee asserts that in the future, illegal immigration flows to the U.S. are likely to come from places farther away than Mexico, due to the deterrent effect of increased border security, the well-performing Mexican economy, and Mexico’s changing demographic profile.

Subcommittee Hearing: U.S. Energy Security: Enhancing Partnerships with Mexico and Canada

To read Duncan Wood’s statement from the hearing click here

Duncan Wood, Director of the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute, testified before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs’ Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere on March 14, 2013. The hearing, titled “U.S. Energy Security: Enhancing Partnerships with Mexico and Canada,” included a discussion of the Keystone XL pipeline and the Transboundary Hydrocarbons Agreement.

Towards a Regional Competitiveness Agenda

Christopher Wilson, Associate at the Mexico Institute, wrote an opinion piece for Animal Politico, a news site on Mexican politics. The op-ed encourages Mexico and the United States to develop a regional competitiveness agenda that envisions North America as the most competitive region in the world, addressing issues such as efficient border management, bilateral cooperation on international trade negotiations, regulatory harmonization, trade liberalization in services such as transportation and healthcare, and the simplification of customs procedures.

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THIS SUNDAY ON WILSON FORUM

U.S. Ambassadors to Mexico: The Relationship Through Their Eyes

Sunday, March 31st, 11:00am (EST)

This Sunday on Wilson Forum  three former U.S. ambassadors to Mexico sit down with author and journalist Dolia Estévez to discuss her latest book, U.S. Ambassadors to Mexico: The Relationship Through Their Eyes.  The book offers a first-hand account of how U.S. ambassadors see their own role in this vital relationship. Panelists include John D. Negroponte, Former United States Ambassador to Mexico;  James Jones, Mexico Institute, Advisory Board Member and Chairman, Manatt Jones Global Strategies;  Jeffrey Davidow, Senior Counselor, Cohen Group.

Watch live stream here.

TV Broadcast: Washington, DC and national.

Essay: Peña Nieto’s Cabinet: What Does It Tell Us About Mexican Leadership?

By Roderic Camp

An analysis of cabinet leadership in Mexico has always provided insights into political recruitment trends for the policy-making leadership in general. This essay briefly analyzes the backgrounds of the twenty-two cabinet secretaries and important cabinet-level agencies, and the president, and compares them with equivalent leadership, where appropriate, from three prior presidential periods. Those consist of the cabinet members from the pre-democratic era, 1935-1988, from the democratic transition, 1988-2000, and from the democratic era, 2000-2013.

Read more…

Criminal procedure reform faces hurdles (In Spanish)

Reforma, 2/18/2013

Mexican newspaper Reforma recently highlighted Criminal Procedure Reform in Mexico: Where Things Stand Now – a Mexico Institute publication written by Matthew Ingram – on its front page. The article points out that although 22 states have already enacted relevant legislation, oral trials have only been implemented in 12 states.

Read more…

Video presentation of Energy Report: A New Beginning for Mexican Oil

Last Thursday, the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute and ITAM (Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México) launched their newest energy report, “A New Beginning for Mexican Oil: Principles and Recommendations for a Reform in Mexico’s National Interest” at ITAM’s campus in Mexico City.

U.S.-Mexico Merchandise Trade Up 7% in 2012, Created 100,000+ U.S. Jobs

Christopher Wilson

Christopher Wilson, Mexico Institute, 2/8/13

The Census Bureau’s newly released 2012 trade statistics show that U.S.-Mexico merchandise trade grew seven percent in 2012, reaching $494 billion dollars. U.S. exports were up 9 percent, at $216 billion. This outpaced import growth, which was up six percent to $277 billion, and brought the trade deficit down 5 percent, to $61 billion.

U.S. exports to Mexico in 2012 rose $18 billion dollars above their 2011 value. According to the White House, each $1 billion in new exports supports more than 6,000 jobs. This suggests the growth in exports to Mexico created over 107,000 new American jobs in 2012.