Worlds Collide at Cancun Climate Talks
Is climate change a business opportunity, columnist Laura Carlsen asks, or a chance to change the way we structure our economies and our lives?
Postcard from…Mini Numa
In rural Mexico, the flush toilet is a human rights victory.
2010: Year of the Nini
If Time magazine had any inkling of sense, it would name the Nini the person of the year for 2010.
Another War in Lebanon? Not Likely
Israel is focused on Iran. But the Obama administration should not ignore the few voices inside Israel that want escalation against Hezbollah.
Mexican Elections: Oaxaca and Territory in Play
The elections of Sunday, July 4th, in 14 Mexican states can be seen as a struggle for Mexican territories by diverse power groups, including the drug cartels.
Finally, a Forum for Victims of the “Wars on Drugs”
Those who most need to hear alternative points of view on drug policies turn a deaf ear to those most affected by them.
Troops to the Mexico Border
Obama’s military step up is bad news to migrant communities.
Our Latest: Calderon, Thailand, and the Myth of Overtaxation
What IPS says about the world today.
Urging Presidents Obama and Calderon to Address Human and Workers’ Rights Issues
They should seek to strengthen Mexican judicial and civilian institutions while creating jobs and education opportunities for the millions of those without decent jobs.
Hunger Strike in Defense of Work Begins in Mexico
The struggle of Mexican electricians, now converted into a hunger strike, is against the historic injustice that is worsening daily in the country, particularly under the present government.
U.S. Drug Policy Feeds Violence in Mexico
As long as there is high demand for drugs in the United States, the illicit drug trade and all its bloody consequences won’t stop.
Brown Bag: ‘The Big Scam: John Ross Discusses How Washington Gave Mexico A Drug Problem’
IPS’ Drug Policy Project invites you to a brown-bag discussion with John Ross. Militarization of the border has turned Mexico into an annex of “The Wire.” Drugs stay in the country longer these days and invariably leak into the Mexican marketplace, fomenting intense commercial rivalries between the cartels.
The Struggle of Electricians in Mexico Goes On
“It’s either them or us. The time has come for the people, for the excluded, exploited and discriminated people, the ones who are always pushed back.”
Panel Discussion: Mexico in 2010: A Year of Celebration and Political and Economic Challenge
The year 2010 will mark a double celebration for Mexicans: the bicentennial of its independence from Spanish rule and the first centennial of the Mexican revolution that gave way to its modern political life. However, amidst the celebration, the country is facing one of the most challenging times in its modern history.
Despite the fact that Mexico has achieved a successful transition into a multi-party system that allows for political succession, it is also evident that after the year 2000 — when the PRI was voted out for the first time in 70 years — Mexico still requires profound institutional renovation. Democratic development in Mexico has revealed the limitations and insufficiencies of the old forms of governance.
On the economic front, 2009 has been a year in which Mexico has sunk into a deep economic crisis as a result of its profound dependence on the U.S. economy. NAFTA facilitated the concentration of economic activity in a few exporting activities and a few exporters. The result is that the U.S. recession has hit Mexico much harder than any other country in Latin America. Unemployment is rampant, thousands of small and medium companies have gone bankrupt, and millions have joined the ranks of poverty.
Panelists:
Alfonso Durazo was a senior advisor to President Vicente Fox before he publicly resigned and authored a book about his disagreement with the administration: Saldos del Cambio, Una Crítica Política de la Alternancia (Results of Mexico’s Change, A Political Critique of “Change” in Mexican Government). He has written for important Mexican publications such as Reforma and Proceso, and holds M.P.A. and J.D. degrees from UNAM and a Phd from Tec de Monterrey, Mexico.
Timothy A. Wise is Director of the Research and Policy Program at the Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University. He specializes in trade, agriculture, and rural development. He is the co-author of The Promise and the Perils of Agricultural Trade Liberalization: Lessons from Latin America, and Confronting Globalization: Economic Integration and Popular Resistance in Mexico.Moderator: Sarah Anderson, director of the Global Economy Project at the Institute for Policy Studies.
Note: Part of the discussion will be in Spanish. Translation will be provided. To attend, please contact Manuel Pérez-Rocha, tel: 240-838-6623, email: manuel (at) ips-dc (dot) org.
Lack of North American Leadership
The three amigos met in Guadalajara and failed to usher in a new paradigm of North American cooperation.