Gathering smart people to talk about Mexico is always a gift. We had a new session of Connect with Mexico, on 14 June, and we had a great time delving on the often-difficult relationship between Mexico and the United States.
We first looked at a publicity campaign from the late 2000’s and considered how Mexicans and Americans can view it very differently. We concluded how “territorial integrity” is often “the elephant in the room” when it comes to relations between Mexico and the United States.
We also decided to hear a couple of minutes of speeches from two presidents: Russia’s and, well, Mexico’s. At a press conference in Moscow in 2021 concerning Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin asked reporters how the United States would feel “to see Russian missiles installed in the north of Mexico.” After discussing Mexico’s position regarding the war in Ukraine, we heard President Lopez Obrador who made it very clear that “he would not allow foreign troops to enter Mexico” to fight drug cartels. We thus appreciated how difficult it is at times for Mexico to discuss sensitive issues with its huge and powerful neighbor.
Speaking of huge, we travelled to Iguala, Guerrero, to see the world’s tallest flagstaff, on which a huge Mexican flag proudly waves. We then travelled to Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, where we saw the “Monument to Mexicaness,” which sits right across the border with Texas and is, well, immense. We learned that Mexicans often like to position huge flags and massive monuments like these where Americans can clearly see them. We quoted Mexican sociologists explaining that the creation of these immense structures appears to help Mexicans compensate for the constant challenge of living “under the shadow of the United States.”
After talking a look at the White House’s website in Spanish, noting that the only other language offered there, other than English, happens to be Spanish,
we considered some information presented by the Mexican Government’s Institute for Mexicans Abroad. We saw the states – mostly in the center and south – that send the most Mexicans to the United States to work, and we also witnessed the US states where most of those Mexicans reside; all based on information gathered by Mexican consulates spread across the United States.
Come join us next week, on Wednesday, 21 June, when we will talk about the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Why do so many Mexicans appear to hate him while a bunch of others are true AMLOvers? We’ll find out soon enough! Book that online session right here.
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