Mexico: Sovereignty, Authority, Power AP comparative Government

Intro Mexico was once considered to be a model for LDC’s The “Mexican Miracle” was characterized by an increasing GNP and a good transition from authoritarian rule to democratic rule In the 1980’s and 1990’s the Mexican economy took a major hit and their political system feel into corruption and disarray This was largely due to an overdependence on oil revenue, coupled with a dropping cost of oil In the 2000’s, free and fair elections were held again and Mexico seemed on its way back to recovery. Unfortunately for Mexico, election results were challenged and the global recession of 2008 took place. Both had a major impact on economic success.

Legitimacy The power structure of Mexico has gone through constant change since the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century In general, Mexican citizens see today’s government as legitimate An important source of government legitimacy stems from the Revolution of 1910-1911 Revolutions are accepted as an acceptable path to change in Mexico and the charisma of a leader is as highly valued as their leadership ability The success of the Revolution of 1910-1911 was further legitimized by the formation of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in 1929 After the revolution, a constitution was written that created a three-branch democracy. The PRI stabilized political power in the hands of its leaders The PRI controlled the power of the government until it was successfully challenged in the late 20th century There was no major competition for control of power in the Mexican government, however that has rapidly changed over the last few decades

Historical Traditions Authoritarianism: Mexico has a history of strong central leadership. This stems from Spanish rule and later military rulers who ruled the region. Mexican’s are used to rulers using strong-armed tactics to accomplish their goals Populism: Revolutions in 1810 and 1910 were peasant movements led by charismatic figures that fought for increased rights

Historical Traditions Power plays/divisions within the elite: There is a history of political elites competing with each other for great power. These competitions include the: The leaders of the Revolutions of 1810 and 1910 The warlords/caudillos of the 20th century The politicos vs. tecnicos in the late 20th century Most recently there was great controversy over the results of the 2006 election Challenging election results can be a destabilizing force in a country, as political power is greatly challenged and the legitimacy of the government is put under great strain Instability and Legitimacy issues: Mexico’s political history is full of chaos, conflict, bloodshed, and violent revolution Even with most Mexicans believing the government has legitimacy, there is still wide ranging government instability. This instability centers on drug cartels holding great power throughout the society.

Political Culture The importance of religion: Patron-clientelism Until the 1920’s, the Catholic Church actively participated in politics, and priests were often leaders of populist movements During the revolutionary period of Mexican history, the government developed an anti-church position This has greatly reduced the Church’s direct involvement in Mexican government Despite the Church’s lack of direct involvement, the majority of Mexicans are devout Catholics, and their beliefs influence political values and actions Patron-clientelism Patron-clientelism describes the Mexican system of cliques that are based on personal connections and charismatic leadership. There is a widely practiced “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” attitude throughout Mexican businesses and throughout the government The network of patron client networks are known as camarillas. These networks extend from political elites to vote-mobilizing organizations throughout the country The wide spread use of the patron-client system has led to a great degree corruption It is believed that since PRI has faced great political challenges in recent years, the camarilla system may be in decline Even with this decline corporatism is still a major part of Mexican policymaking

Political Cultures Economic dependency: Mexico has almost always been in the shadow of a more powerful country and has leaned on that country for aid This was apparent when Mexico was a colony of Spain This is still true and can be seen through Mexico’s relationship with the United States

Geographic Influence Mountain and Deserts: Natural Resources Mexico has large deserts and Mountain ranges that can make communication and transportation difficult There is very little land available for productive agriculture Due to these dividing geographic features, regionalism is a large part of Mexican culture Natural Resources Mexico has an abundance of oil, silver and other natural resources Due to government mismanagement, these resources have not brought widespread prosperity to the people A long border with the United States The long border has brought about conflict and dependency issues The conflict between the U.S. and Mexico generally stems around immigration policy and drug enforcement Mexico has also become largely dependent on the U.S. for economic aid

Geographic Influences 114 million people Mexico is the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world They are also among the most ten populace countries in the world Population growth has slowed significantly and Mexican population is currently expanding at only 1.1% annually Urban population Mexico rapidly urbanized in the 20th century ¾ of the Mexican population now lives in cities This shift in population has disrupted many Mexican traditions including the patron-client system