Synopses & Reviews
As Mexico approaches the 21st century, its problems seem to be rapidly overwhelming its prospects. Only a short time ago, with the passage of NAFTA, it appeared ready to catapult out of underdevelopment into the ranks of the industrialized countries. Then came 1994, the "year of living dangerously," and suddenly Mexico appeared dangerously close to the brink of wholesale disintegration. What went wrong? And what are the prospects for the future? In Mexico Faces the 21st Century, a distinguished group of veteran Mexico watchers analyze the roots of the crisis and the outlook for political stability democratization, socioeconomic development, and U.S.-Mexican relations. Among the subjects addressed are: the crisis of the Salinas years, the changing nature of the political system, the relations between the PRI and the opposition, the internal conflicts within the PRI, the emerging power of the narcotraffickers, the role of civil society, labor and the military, the Chiapas uprising, NAFTA, the current economic crisis, illegal migration, the U.S.-Mexican borderlands, and U.S.-Mexican national security issues. Though the prognosis is for a troubled future, the outlook is by no means hopeless: political violence and socioeconomic turmoil will continue, and relations with the United States will be more conflictual than anticipated. But Mexico will probably be able to avoid a full-scale revolutionary upheaval and will continue what is likely to be a long and difficult transition to democracy.
Review
Reader will find this volume quite useful,..., for its discussions of civil-military relations and of U.S.-Mexican affairs. This volume does provide a healthy dose of realism. Moreover, one need not be a political scientist or a Mexicanist to read easily and understand the issues under dicussion here; the editors have done an admirable job in making the work accessible to the layperson.American Political Science Review
Synopsis
As Mexico approaches the 21st century, its problems seem to be rapidly overwhelming its prospects. Only a short time ago, with the passage of NAFTA, it appeared ready to catapult out of underdevelopment into the ranks of the industrialized countries. Then came 1994, the "year of living dangerously," and suddenly Mexico appeared dangerously close to the brink of wholesale disintegration. What went wrong? And what are the prospects for the future? In Mexico Faces the 21st Century, a distinguished group of veteran Mexico watchers analyze the roots of the crisis and the outlook for political stability democratization, socioeconomic development, and U.S.-Mexican relations.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [207]-208) and index.
About the Author
DONALD E. SCHULZ is an Associate Professor of National Security Affairs at the Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College.EDWARD J. WILLIAMS is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Arizona.
Table of Contents
Preface
Abbreviations
Crisis or Transformation? The Struggle for the Soul of Mexico by Donald E. Schulz and Edward J. Williams
Striving for Mexican Democracy: The PRI and the Opposition by Rod Camp
Mexico's Political Transition: The Emergence of Civil Society by Isidro Sepulveda
The Mexican Military Approaches the 21st Century: Coping with a New World Order by Stephen J. Wager
State-Labor Relations in Mexico: Old Tendencies and New Trends by Maria Lorena Cook
Mexico's New Environmental Policy: An Assessment by Stephen P. Mumme
Free Trade with Mexico and U.S. National Security by Al Perez
The NAFTA and Beyond: The United States-Mexican Borderlands in Transition by Edward J. Williams
Mexican Modernization's Consequences for Mexican Undocumented Labor Migration by Jesus Tamayo
The Zapatista Revolt and Its Implications for Civil-Military Relations and the Future of Mexico by Stephen J. Wager and Donald E. Schulz
Through a Glass Darkly: On the Challenges and Enigmas of Mexico's Future by Donald E. Schulz
Selected Bibliography
Index