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 […]

Are Western democracies a role model for the Arab world? That’s a big question, with several points to consider. One obstacle that must be addressed is what I’ll call activist fatigue. It’s something that has become increasingly evident in the United States over the last few years, and it could […]

In early 2009, there was much optimism for climate change policy in the United States and worldwide. US voters had just elected a Democratic President and large Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress. A fairly strong climate change policy, the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES), was working […]

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 […]