President Calderon's meeting with President-elect Barack Obama this past Monday comes at a crucial time for both countries. While it is customary for the American President to visit Mexico early in his administration, it is unusual that Calderon and Obama met before the Obama inauguration on Tuesday the 20th.
Clearly the global economy is of dominant concern to both world leaders. In contrast to past financial crises that originated in Latin America, such as the 1994 Tequila Crisis, the current crisis originated in the US and has spilled over to the rest of the world, including Mexico. The two leaders meeting is important because it signals the importance of Mexico to the incoming administration. While President Bush first met with then-President Vicente Fox at the beginning of his term, bilateral issues were largely sidelined until several years after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Now many issues are coming back to the forefront.
In addition to the global credit crisis, many American officials worry that the wave of drug-related violence in Mexico may spill over into the US. The earlier Merida Initiative, a billion-plus dollar anti-drug program with the US and Mexico, was a big step in the right direction. The next administration recognizes the urgency of the issue.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
