Mexico–United States relations
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| United States | Mexico |
The United States and Mexico share a maritime and land border in North America. Several treaties have been concluded between the two nations bilaterally, such as the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the Gadsden Purchase, and multilaterally, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement. They are both members of various international organizations, such as the Organization of American States and the United Nations.
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[edit] History
- See also: Mexican-American War
[edit] Economics
In 1985 the world’s total number of sovereign states had reached 180; by the year 1994, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the number had grown to 220. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) represents the latest attempt to tear down barriers to capital mobility even as territorial demarcations were tightened for workers. The purpose of NAFTA was not merely to facilitate trade and open markets but to expanded opportunities for capital investment. The treaty did not pay attention to worker mobility, in striking contrast to the EU, which made labor central to the broader process of market integration. The consolidation of European markers was effected by multilateral polices designed to harmonize social policies, equalize economic infrastructures, and guarantee worker rights and mobility within the trade zone. In contrast, NAFTA omitted these provisions and its U.S. backers instead insisted on the unilateral right to prevent Mexican workers from migrating through restrictive border policies.
[edit] Globalization
Globalization is the increasing interconnectedness of people and places as a result of advances in transport, communication, and information technologies that causes political, economical, and cultural convergence. Latin America has emerged from the economic doldrums of the 1970s and 1980s to become a commercial power of its own right in the 1990s. Seeds were planted in the 1980s with the movements towards democracy and free market economies. Mexico become a member of NAFTA, Mercosur, born in 1988, achieved full internal free trade among member-states Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay by its 1994 deadline.
Positive
In contrast to the accepted wisdom of the 1970s and 1980s international firms in the 1990s see Latin America as a springboard into the United States. Companies such as Honda and Mercedes have built new plants or upgraded existing ones in Mexico to reap the advantages of the free trade that the NAFTA agreement promised. The surge of consumption south of the U.S. border has also sparked the interest of both U.S. and international retailers. After an extensive study of Mexican consumers in its 22 stores on the U.S.-Mexico border, J.C. Penney announced plans to open 20 stores in Mexico and Chile, where the Home Depot briefly had 12 stores in the early 2000s. Wal-Mart followed its initial push into Mexico, Canada and Puerto Rico with aggressive moves into Brazil, Chile and Argentina.
Negative
There are many positive and convincing cases for the economic and social benefits that flow from the overall expanding reach of trade, investment, capital and technology. But it is critical to note that not all countries are winners in the globalization game. Mexico has made major advances along the difficult road to economic liberalization and democratization only to suffer serious setbacks. There are problems associated with globalization and they are gaining more and more public attention in both the developed and the developing world. While it can be argued that the effects of economic liberalization over three decades have been largely positive, concerns are rising in capitals throughout the world that accelerating change is carrying an increasingly high price in terms of unemployment, social dislocation, income disparities, the exploitation of workers and environmental degradation. This can be seen specifically in cases of the maquiladora factories on the U.S.-Mexico border. Cases of exploitative labor, low wages, long hours, and sexual misconduct are evident.
[edit] Controversies
The increased cooperation of US-Mexico relations in terms of economic dependency of the two countries on each other, could spell trouble for the region. Illegal immigration is a hotly debated issue, particularly in the US states bordering Mexico where there are a large number of illegal border crossings in the the United States. Anti-globalization activists oppose closer ties with Mexico which they feel will create more illegal immigration.
[edit] Maquiladoras
A Maquiladora or Maquila is a factory that imports materials and equipment on a duty-free and tariff-free basis for assembly or manufacturing and then re-exports the assembled product; usually back to the originating country. "Maquiladora" is primarily used to refer to factories in Mexican towns along the United States–Mexico border, but increasingly is used to refer to factories all over Latin America. Maquiladora factories encompass a variety of industries including electronics, transportation, textile, and machinery, among others. Maquiladoras may be 100% foreign-owned (usually by U.S. companies) in most countries. The use of Maquiladoras is an example of off shoring. Other countries such as Japan, Germany, and Korea have Maquiladoras as well; the majorities of them are located in Mexico and are associated with United States' companies.
The Maquiladora factories along the border can be looked at as a “new factory regime.” This new regime was put in place after NAFTA was organized. The most prominent city in regards to Maquiladora factories is Ciudad Juárez, on the border of Mexico and United States. The factories employ mainly young, female workers between the ages of sixteen and twenty–five, although the factories have been known to employ workers of even younger ages.
Cheaper production of materials for the United States and Canada has led to exploitation, sexual abuse and oppression for young Mexican women. Factories in Ontario are often threatened or even shut down by increased competition from factories located in Mexico. Parts made by workers in Mexico are identical to those made in Canada; however the Mexican worker is paid much less. Also in recent years there has been an increasing amount of brutality especially towards women. Sexual assaults and killings have occurred because of poverty and extremely poor living conditions experienced in these cities. Police corruption allows for these brutalities to continue due to mixed up DNA tests, mishandling of evidence and Media intervention Globalization has produced both physical and economic insecurity.
[edit] See also
- Foreign relations of the United States
- Foreign relations of Mexico
- US-Mexico Border
- US-Mexico barrier
- Mexican American
- North American Free Trade Agreement
- Embassy of Mexico in Washington DC
[edit] Bibliography
- Arbelaez, Harvey & Milman, Claudio (2007), "The New Business Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean", International Journal of Public Administration: 553.
- Dunn, Christopher; Brewer, Benjamin & Yukio, Kawano (2000), "Trade Globalization since 1795: Waves of Integration in the World-System", American Sociological Review 65: 77-95.
- Gereffi, Gary & Hempel, Lynn (1996), "Latin America in the Global Economy: Running Faster to Stay in Place", Report on the Americas, <http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/40/097.html>. Retrieved on 29 April 2008.
- Hill, John & D'souza, Giles (1998), "Tapping the Emerging Americas Market", Journal of Business Strategy.
- Kelly, Patricia & Massey, Douglas (2007), "Borders for Whom? The Role of NAFTA in Mexico-U.S. Migration", The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political Science 610: 98-118.
- Mumme, Stephen (2007), "Trade Integration, Neoliberal Reform and Environmental Protection in Mexico: Lessons for the Americas", Latin American Perspectives 34: 91-107.
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