Mexico: Public Policy

Hannah He, Pd 8

Economic Problems/Reforms•Gap between rich and the poor increased–unequal access to health and education–less interventionist, more market-driven policies–PROGESA pays parents for kids to stay in school

• Rapid urbanization caused –overcrowding in cities–dirty air–mass transit congestion

•Government borrowed heavily– borrowed hoping oil prices would stay high, but prices

plummeted

Migration• Rural to urban move, South to North–1950: 40% lived in urban areas–2000: 75% lived in urban areas

• Results:–more stable government: young people

frustrated move instead of trying to change the government

–money from America goes back home (about $9 billion each year)

–usually those who immigrate have better education

Mexico City’s smog problem

Urbanization and the Environment

•More than 60% of land is considered totally eroded or in an accelerated state of erosion•Bad regulation of petroleum wells•Water shortage in Mexico City– around 30% of water is pumped more from 80 miles or more away, and 67% come from underground wells–wastewater flows north and causes problems in

plants•Mexico City has high levels of pollution–driving is based on license plate’s last number

Foreign Policy• Vicente Fox (president of Mexico from 2000-2006) worked closely with Bush to–push for amnesty for illegal immigrants–tighten Mexican border against more immigration

• 1986 – Mexico joined the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) to promote freer trade•GATT lasted from 1947-1994 before replaced by the World Trade Organization (WTO)• Special and differential treatment

Mexico’s Relationships with Others

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, former Mexican President Felipe Calderon, and United

States President Barack Obama

North American Free Trade Agreement (1992)

• eliminated tariffs in trade between the United States, Mexico, and Canada• created Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) in 1994• Pros (for Mexico):• More industrial integration with the United States

•Cons (for Mexico)• Much of the US investment has been in factories for low-income workers (maquiladoras)• Each country has different regulations for exporters

War on Drugs

Statistics and Facts• Since 2006, more than 70,000 people have been killed by the Drug War in Mexico• 1.55 million Americans are arrested per year on nonviolent drug charges• 3,000 police officers and soldiers have died since 2006, which is equal to the number of coalition soldiers who have died in Afghanistan since 2001.•>5000 people have disappeared since 2006 (some estimates go as high as 30,000)

Vigilantes (self-defense groups) vs. Cartels vs. the Government

"Federal authorities, instead of imposing order, instead of rescuing the cities, they are more like referees," Jose Antonio Ortega, president of the Citizens Council for Public Safety and Criminal Justice said. "They are watching the civil war in Michoacan."

Corruption

Statistics• Police officers earn less than teachers and even burrito venders•Military intervention has led to problems• 1,200 municipal employees have been killed since 2006 (including >43 mayors) • 2005-2012, 144 border employees were arrested for abetting drug smugglers

Interesting Drug Facts• In 2005, the government had to raid its own maximum-security prison in order to regain control from drug lords• The Zeta Cartel has 10,000 gunmen along the border alone• Justice Department estimates that cartels make 18 billion to 39 billion each year• 8,500 trucks cross from Zeta to US daily• 60% of Mexican cartel profits are estimated to come from Marijuana

Human Rights Issues• “In an historic decision in August 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that the use of military jurisdiction to prosecute a human rights violation was unconstitutional. Nonetheless, most abuses by military personnel continue to be prosecuted in military courts, which lack independence and impartiality.” – Human Rights Watch• Torture is widespread practice; medical examiners often omit abuse in reports • Vicente Fox’s Freedom of Information Law

More Human Rights Issues•Of 249 cases of “disappearance” examined by Human Rights Watch (from December 2006 to December 2012), 149 are reported to have state officials involved

Ethnic Rebellions• Emiliano Zapata (1879-1919) was a village leader and worked to return haciendas to the village• EZLN (Zapatista National Liberation Front) banded together to protest NAFTA because they believed it was an example of landowners exploiting the government • Took over four towns in Chiapas• Zapatistas based on ethnicity (Amerindian) and has since spread to be used as a label for many ethnic rebellions

Oaxaca 2006•May 2006 – the 25th year in a row that teachers protested for higher salaries•Others joined in to attempt to oust state governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz• Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca (APPO) was created in June 2006 after the violence in May 2006• PRI lost power in Oaxaca for the first time in seventy years

Oaxaca 2006 Continued•Ulises Ruiz left in July•APPO broke in radio and television centers; PRI and police attacked throughout August and caused the first deaths associated with the event• Federal and military police worked against APPO throughout August, and the exact death toll is still unknown• Leftist guerilla groups took over the original intentions of the protests • Federal forces helped local forces regain power and also investigated claims of torture

Let’s do an activity!!!