Author Archive

Of all the myriad consequences of September 11, 2001, among the most distasteful was the jolt of fear it gave to the American body politic. For years thereafter, politicians would regularly act with the understanding that my being more fearful was in their interest. Even though the majority of the […]

Not only a source of national pride, Mexico’s national oil company was also supposed to lead the country to prosperity. The famous nationalization of the nation’s oil fields, which is celebrated with a national holiday every March, marked a definitive political separation from the US and signaled the emergence of […]

For most of its recent history, Mexican democracy has been a story of gridlock. With three dominant parties in a system in which a majority is needed to accomplish anything in the legislative realm, the opposition parties typically align to deny any significant changes to the status quo. And when […]

The remittances sent home from Mexicans working in the US adds entries to both sides of the balance sheet. First, the negative: the billions of dollars sent from immigrants living and working in the US to their family members around Mexico reflect a weak labor market and a scarcity of […]