Mexico Matters

CSIS

4.9 (22)
GOVERNMENT
UPDATED MONTHLY

The Mexico Matters podcast series highlights key developments in Mexico and their impact on the United States.

MAR 14

Everything is Relative—including Tariffs

In this episode, Mariana speaks with Luis de la Calle, renowned economist, former NAFTA negotiator and the CEO of CMM Asociados. They discuss the future of globalization, the current perceptions on trade, the potential consequences for North America—and the world—of imposing tariffs, and what can Mexico do to help more Mexican producers comply with USMCA. They also discuss the recent popularity surge of Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, and what she needs to do to put her country (not her party) first.

35 min
FEB 11

Are Tariffs THE Right Weapon?

In this episode, Mariana speaks with Kevin Brady, former U.S. Rep. (R-TX) and Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Kenneth Smith Ramos, former USMCA Chief negotiator for Mexico, about the shift in Washington away from free trade, President Trump’s use of tariffs as leverage to solve the fentanyl and border security crises, and the potential consequences of starting a trade war within North America by imposing 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada. They also speak about the importance for Mexico to satisfy the US’s security demands and to comply with its own energy and other trade commitments in order to allow for a more successful 2026 review of USMCA. Finally, they discuss the importance for collaboration between the United States and Mexico to reduce the power of organized crime and address China’s growing presence in the region.

46 min
JAN 27

America and the World under Trump 2.0

In this episode, Mariana speaks with Dr. Hamre, President and CEO of CSIS and Seth Jones, President of the Defense and Security Department at CSIS. They discuss the role America has had historically in the world and why it might be entering a new epoch of parochialism. They also speak about the world that President Trump has inherited and how its competition with China is playing out in Latin America and elsewhere. They analyze the importance for America to protect and strengthen its borders, the advantages and disadvantages of sending troops to the southern border, and designating cartels as terrorist organizations. Finally, they speak about the importance of increasing security and economic cooperation with Mexico.

50 min
12/09/2024

Trump is Not The Enemy, Narcos Is

In this episode, Mariana speaks with Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow in the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings. She is the director of the Initiative on Nonstate Armed Actors. She is also the co-director of the Brookings series on opioids: “The Opioid Crisis in America: Domestic and International Dimensions. They discuss the unprecedented epidemic caused by the synthetic drug revolution and the role that Mexican cartels have played in driving this crisis, bankrolled by Chinese money laundering organizations. They also discuss what concrete actions the Mexican government should take to reduce the flow of narcotics and migrants across the border, and dive into how the Mexican cartels, aided by misguided policies, corruption, and weak judicial institutions, now control large swaths of Mexico’s territory. Finally, they speak about the importance of U.S. and Mexican cooperation to regain the Mexican territory from organized crime.

36 min
11/04/2024

Trump vs Harris: Who is best for what?

In this episode, Mariana speaks with Alan Stoga, Chairman of the Tallberg Foundation and Host of the New Thinking for a New World podcast, about the importance of the U.S. elections, the state of U.S. politics and about the difference in trade, migration and economic policies of the two candidates. They also discuss the impact of the different policies could have in Mexico and the space Mexico’s new President, Claudia Sheinbaum, will have to navigate under each of the two candidates.

47 min
10/14/2024

Wait and See

In this episode, Mariana speaks with Carlos Peyrelongue, head of Mexico Equity Research for Bank of America, about the state of the country that President Claudia Sheinbaum has inherited from her predecessor, about the parting gift he left—a judicial reform that weakens certainty and the rule of law, and about how the markets will read certain markers to determine whether or not she will rule based on data or ideology. They also discuss the measures she will need to take in order to create the necessary conditions to attract investments to grow, to fund the country’s infrastructure needs, as well as the government’s growing spending commitments. And, about the most likely scenarios for U.S.-Mexico relations in light of the upcoming USMCA renegotiation.

41 min
10/02/2024

Picking Winners and Losers

In this episode, Mariana speaks with Alejandra Palacios, former head of Mexico’s antitrust agency, COFECE, and Andrea Durkin, VP for international policy at the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), about the controversial constitutional judicial reform passed by Mexico's Congress, which makes Mexico the only country in the world where the entire judicial branch, including the Supreme Court, stands for election. They also discuss the government’s proposal to incorporate various regulatory agencies into the federal government, a move that could undermine their independence and increase presidential power, enabling the removal of competition and the selection of winners and losers. They emphasize the importance of how the new President, Claudia Sheinbaum, will write and implement the secondary laws and regulations, as these could—if done correctly—add the necessary certainty for investors and even allow Mexico to meet its international trade commitments.

44 min
08/15/2024

Keep those Plates Spinning in the Air

On this episode, Mariana speaks with General David Petraeus, former CIA Director, Retired Army General, Partner of KKR and Chairman of the KKR Global Institute, about the major and minor challenges occurring around the world that require the attention of the United States while, at the same time, the US needs to focus on strengthening its own competitive profile to compete against China. They also discuss how some of these global trends (nearshoring and frienshoring) have the potential to benefit Mexico if—and only if—Mexico works to create the necessary conditions to attract investment. This will include curbing the power of the criminal empires who control one-third of the territory and are damaging the attractiveness of Mexico and impacting the security of North America.

40 min

See All (44)

4.9

out of 5

22 Ratings

Magnanimous?

Feb 13

iCentaur.com

There is nothing magnanimous about Donald Trump-past, present and future. Also, Trump’s election was no mandate. 3.5% nationally. 8 million Democrats who voted 2020 did not vote in 2024. That’s the actual difference.
Great Guest

11/11/2024

Mr_Larry_Quinn

Trump won the Electoral College and popular vote in a big league manner. Host thought Harris would win which shows she is not in tune with political realities. Her guest accurately identified Trump winning.
Interesting perspectives

03/02/2023

Minnesota Kicks Fan

I enjoy the the information this podcast covers on our fellow North American brothers . I think there is a lot of potential for the three major North American nations to collaborate and ensure our strong standing on the global stage
Important Topic; Questionable Approach

11/23/2022

RJG179

One thing that sticks out to me, personally, is that almost no episode goes by without taking at least a few obligatory swings at AMLO and throwing in a few mentions about Pemex for good measure. I’m absolutely no fan of AMLO’s either, but unless I’m missing the point, it might serve the show’s purpose to sound a little bit less like a PRI review and to offer more variety. I do look forward to more from this show and to see where it takes us. Update: The Ros-Lethinen “Election Update” was entirely uncritical, to say the least. Ros-Lethinen can’t be faulted for turning in an entirely partisan performance, that should be expected, but I am disappointed by the fact that our host tried to pass that off as a “Election Update”.