Woodrow Wilson Center / Johns Hopkins University
Executive Vice President and Senior Advisor to the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center and author of Mexico’s Democratic Challenges: Politics, Government and Society; Adjunct Professor of Government at Johns Hopkins University
Mr. Trump goes to Mexico Donald Trump has mocked Mexico throughout his campaign, so today's "private" visit to the Presidential Palace came as a surprise. Trump may have little to lose but, for Enrique Peña Nieto, it could be another story. Mexico's former President, Vicente Fox, called Nieto's invitation "an enormous political risk…. he could even be perceived as a traitor. Hillary Clinton held forth on Trump's trip before he'd even arrived in Mexico, "It certainly takes more than just making up for a year of insults and insinuations by flying in on our neighbor and then flying out a couple hours later… that's not how it works." Andrew Selee specializes in Mexico. He's Vice President of the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington.
Mexico: The Drug War and Sunday's Presidential Election Tens of thousands of Mexicans have been killed since President Felipe Calderón began his war on brutal drug cartels after taking office six years ago. To date that war has killed more than 50,000. Four days before Sunday's presidential election, that's on the mind of every potential voter but, in the campaigns to replace Calderón, no candidate has come up with a persuasive strategy. We hear about the likely return of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which ruled Mexico for 71 years until it was rejected 12 years ago and about a youth movement against continued corruption. What's happened to the promises of real democracy and the end of corruption? What's the potential impact of a youth movement that began on college campuses and that's spreading on social media? Before beginning our panel discussion, we hear a production from Sonic Trace, a project at KCRW, which is telling the stories of immigrants from Mexico and Central America. As an introduction to the presidential election, we hear from Luis, a 17-year-old, Mexican-born junior at a Los Angeles high school and what he learned about the politics of his homeland. Sonic Trace is produced by Anayansi Diaz-Cortes and Eric Pearse-Chavez. It is part of Localore, an initiative of the Association of Independents in Radio (AIR) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It's home is KCRW's Independent Producer Project. The project is co-produced by Zeega, a non-profit inventing new forms of interactive storytelling. Thanks to Jacob Conrad, who edited the story, audio engineer Mario Diaz, and to Marco Morales. Follow Sonic Trace on Facebook and Twitter .
Mexico's Drug Wars and Reporting the News In the past four years, at least 30 Mexican journalists have been murdered or disappeared. Sunday, a respected newspaper in Ciudad Juárez directly addressed the drug cartels battling for control of the city. In a front-page editorial, El Diario called for a truce. Two years ago, the paper's lead crime reporter was gunned down in his driveway before he could take his daughter to school. Last week, a photo-journalist was killed in the parking lot of a busy shopping mall.
Mexico's Drug Wars and Reporting the News Brutal killings and shootouts that paralyze cities for hours often are not reported by Mexican newspapers, radio or TV. In the past four years, at least 30 journalists have been murdered or disappeared, so many that El Diario de Ciudad Juárez directly addressed the drug cartels battling for control of the city. On Sunday, in a front-page editorial, the well respected paper has asked for a "truce," implying the government can't protect citizens who are doing their jobs. There's growing Internet traffic for a blog that accepts often gruesome postings from drug lords themselves. Hillary Clinton says Mexico is like Colombia 20 years ago. Has President Calderon's military offensive failed? What can the US do?
Two American Officials Targeted for Death in Mexico Acapulco is known as paradise on the Pacific, but this weekend, six police officers were shot dead and decapitated bodies were found on a busy road packed with nightclubs. In Ciudad Juarez, three people connected to the US consulate were gunned down in their cars, while returning from a birthday party. This grizzly violence raises the question of whether it’s safe to visit Mexico. Andrew Selee is Director of the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center.
Can the US Mend Fences while Building Fences? Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Mexico today to shore up relations with Mexican President Felipe Calderón at a time when US relations with Mexico have never been more complex. As the United States is speeding hundreds of federal agents to the Mexican border as part of an ambitious new plan to prevent the drug cartels' surging violence from spilling over into the US, tensions continue on NAFTA , the recession in the US has hit hard in Mexico, and illegal immigration remains a hot button of American politics. Is President Obama's next foreign crisis next door? With a bloody drug war raging out of control, is Mexico a failed state?
Can the US Mend Fences while Building Fences? Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Mexico today to shore up relations with Mexican President Felipe Calderón at a time when US relations with Mexico have never been more complex. As the United States is speeding hundreds of federal agents to the Mexican border as part of an ambitious new plan to prevent the drug cartels' surging violence from spilling over into the US, tensions continue on NAFTA , the recession in the US has hit hard in Mexico, and illegal immigration remains a hot button of American politics. Is President Obama's next foreign crisis next door? With a bloody drug war raging out of control, is Mexico a failed state?
Obama and Calderon Talk Drugs, Trade and Immigration When most Americans think of Mexico, they're likely to focus on immigration. But Mexico's drug wars killed 5000 people last year, and the Department of Homeland Security has plans for a law-enforcement "surge" if bloodshed spreads across the border. That's the background of today's meeting between Mexican President Felipe Calderón and the incoming leader of the US. It is the first time since his election that Barack Obama has met with a foreign leader. Andrew Selee is Director of the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center and adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University.
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.