Mexico

1
Mexicos Foreign Policy Impacts on The United
States

• Annie DElia
• Bryce Vanderberg
• Adam Bodner

2

• History
• NAFTA
• Drug Wars
• Immigration
• Solutions

3
History

• 1934 Foreign Service was established
• During the Cold War Mexico pursued a liberal and
  progressive foreign policy
• 1963 in response to the growing tension of the
  Cold War, the Mexican government proposed that
  Latin America become a nuclear-weapons-free zone
• 1981 Mexico hosted a chapter of the North-South
  dialogue between heads of state in industrial and
  developing countries

4
NAFTA
5
NAFTA

• The United States is Mexicos largest trade
  partner
• Mexico is the United States third largest trade
  partner
• North American Free Trade Agreement signed in
  1994- created the world's largest free trade
  area, which now links 450 million people
  producing 17 trillion worth of goods and
  services.

6
NAFTA-Problems

• Manufacturing industries (motor vehicles,
  textiles, computers and electronic appliances)
  moved their production to Mexico because it was
  cheaper
• Mexican farmers could not compete with the
  subsidized American farmers and 1.3 million farm
  jobs were lost after the signing of NAFTA
• The U.S. exploits Maquiladora workers
• It is bad for the environment in Mexico

7
Drug Wars
8
Drug Wars- Background

• Colombias drug cartels were dismantled in the
  1980s
• Weak judicial and police institutions and
  proximity to the United States, the worlds
  largest consumer economy contributed to the start
  of the drug trafficking
• 2006 President Calderon with the help of the
  United States launched a massive crackdown
  against drug trafficking
• The primary focus for Mexico is breaking up drug
  cartels within the country and the goal of the
  United States is to stop the flow of drugs across
  the boarders.

9
Drug Wars

• The drug trade makes up 3-4 of Mexicos 1.2
  trillion annual GDP (around 23-30 billion) and
  employs at least 500,000 people
• Mexico is a major supplier of heroin to the
  United States and the largest supplier of
  methamphetamines and marijuana
• In 2003 77 of cocaine that was in the United
  States traveled through Mexico to get there, now
  it is 90

10
Drug Wars- U.S. Role

• The United States sends aid to Mexico to combat
  drug cartels through the Merida Initiative
• The policy keeps changing especially as the
  United States moves towards legalizing and
  decriminalizing marijuana

11
Illegal Immigration

• Approximately 150,000 unauthorized Mexican
  Nationals came into the US per year in the latter
  half of the past decade.
• Mexican born individuals make up approximately
  60 of illegal immigrants in the US (roughly 6.7
  million people)
• Massive population of illegal immigrants of one
  ethnic group causes a shock to the societal
  makeup of an area, which leads to increased
  tensions between the native populous and the
  immigrants which expands past just illegals into
  the ethnic group as a whole.

12
Immigrants in the U.S.

• The average annual income for a Mexican born
  family in the United States was 34,000 compared
  to 50,000 for native born
• Mexican born individuals in the US face a poverty
  rate of 29, compared to 15 for native born
  people.
• Huge disparities in the quality of living among
  the two groups

13
How to Solve the Problem?

• To solve these issues that arise from immigration
  and the drug wars, it is necessary for the United
  States to take a more proactive step toward
  building a more economically prosperous Mexico.
• Investing heavily in building up the
  infrastructure of Mexico would go far in
  achieving a more economically equal neighbor to
  the south.
• U.S. gives Mexico 499 million in aid each year
  as of 2009.
• Barely a fraction of the 44,975 million in
  foreign aid given out by the U.S. each year.
• Compare that to Columbia (895m), Ethiopia
  (940m), Israel (2,432m), and South Africa
  (571m). Pumping millions less into a country
  that is our neighbor.
• The problems that arise from NAFTA will not be as
  detrimental if Mexico catches up with the United
  States by having a more structurally sound
  economy.

14
Bibliography

• http//www.sre.gob.mx/en/index.php/about-the-forei
  gn-ministry/history
• http//www.peashooter85.com/post/30504608081/colom
  bian-police-stand-over-the-body-of-drug-lord
• http//www.cfr.org/mexico/mexicos-drug-war/p13689
• http//www.ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-ag
  reements/north-american-free-trade-agreement-nafta
  
• http//useconomy.about.com/od/tradepolicy/p/NAFTA_
  Problems.htm