Acknowledgments
Political Map of Mexico
List of Tables
Introduction
Part I: Major Issues Facing Mexico Today
Chapter 1: Security and Violence in Mexico
--Why Does Mexico Have so Much Drug Violence Today?
--Has Mexico Always Had a Drug Problem?
-- Which Areas of Mexico are most Affected by Drug Violence, Who Are the Primary Targets, and Does the Violence Spill Across the Border?
--How are Mexico's Security Problems America's Problems?
--What is the Origin of the Drug Cartels and which Organizations are the Major Cartels?
--What Role has Mexico Played in the U.S. Northern Command?
--What do Mexicans Consider to be the Most Important Issues Facing the Country?
--Does Mexico Exercise Political Sovereignty Throughout the Republic?
Chapter 2: Mexico's Economic Development
--How Poor is Mexico?
--How is Mexico Addressing its Poverty?
--What is the Economic Relationship between Mexico and the United States?
--What was the impact of NAFTA on Mexico?
--What is the State of Mexico's Economy Today?
--What Kind of Economic Model Does Mexico Follow?
--What Does the Mexican Economic Model Teach Us About Development?
--Why is Mexico City so Polluted and Can These Conditions be Altered?
--How Has Mexico Addressed Domestic and Cross-Border Environmental Issues?
Chapter 3: Mexico's Political Development
--When Did Mexico Become Democratic?
--How Democratic is Mexico?
--Why Did Mexico Make The Democratic Transition So Slowly?
--What Can Mexico Teach Us About Civil Military Relations?
--Why Has Mexico Been so Stable since the 1930s?
--What is the Impact of the United States on Mexico's Political Development and Democratization?
Chapter 4: Foreign Relations with the United States
--What is the Impact of Geography on Mexico?
--What has Happened with Immigration to the United States?
--Could the US/Mexico Water Commission Serve as an Institutional Model for Other Issues with the United States?
--What Can the United States do to Help Mexico?
--How Has Mexico Influenced the United States Economically?
Chapter 5: Mexico's Social Development
--How Unequal is Mexican Development and What are the Social Consequences?
--What is the Current Status of Indigenous Mexicans?
--What are Mexican Attitudes Toward Global Environmental Issues?
Part II: Historical Legacies
Chapter 6: Mexico's Colonial Heritage
--How Did the Spanish Viceroys Shape Mexico's Political Heritage in the 19th and 20th Centuries?
--What was the Relationship Between Church and State in Mexico and Why Was it so Different from that of the United States?
-- What Consequences did the Colonial Relationship between Church and State have for the 19th and 20th Centuries?
--What is the Most Important Heritage of Spain's Economic System in Mexico?
--How Were Social Class Relations Determined by Colonial Experiences?
Chapter 7: The National Period and the Rise of Liberal/Conservative Conflicts
--What are the Long Term Consequences of Liberal-Conservative Conflicts in Mexico?
--Who Started the Mexican-American War and How Did it Affect Relations with the United States?
--Who is Benito Juárez?
--What is the War of the Reform?
--Why Was the Constitution of 1857 so Important?
--Who is Porfirio Díaz and What is the Porfiriato?
--What Were the Long-term Consequences of the Porfiriato for the 20th Century?
Chapter 8: The Mexican Revolution and a New Political Model for Mexico
The Mexican Revolution
--What Were the Causes of the Mexican Revolution of 1910?
--Who is Francisco I. Madero?
--Who Really is Pancho Villa?
--Who Benefited Most From the Mexican Revolution?
--Could Mexico Have Achieved Changes in its Structures Through Peaceful Means Instead of Violence?
--How Did the Revolution Alter Political Institutions and Civil Military Relations?
--What Was the Attitude of the United States Toward the Revolution?
--What is the Constitution of 1917?
--What was the Cultural Impact of the Mexican Revolution on Painting, Music and Literature?
The Evolution of Modern Political Structures After 1920
--Why Did the Assassination of President-elect Alvaro Obregón Alter Mexico's Political Future?
--What was the influence of Plutarco Elías Calles on the Formation of a Modern Mexican State?
--What is the National Revolutionary Party (PNR)?
--Who is Lázaro Cárdenas and How Did Influence Mexico's Political Model?
--Why Did Mexico Nationalize the Petroleum Industry in 1939?
--Did Mexico Participate in World War II?
--When Did Civilian Leadership Take Control of the Mexican Political System?
--What is the Alemán Generation and What were its Consequences for Mexican Politics?
--What is the PRI?
--What is the Mexican Economic Miracle?
--What is the PAN?
The Decline of the PRI and the Mexican Model
--What is the Tlatelolco Student Massacre in 1968 and What are its Long-term Political Consequences?
--What is the "Dirty War" in Mexico?
--What Was the Impact of the 1964 Electoral Reforms?
--What Were the Leading Political Characteristics of Mexico's Semi-Authoritarian Model?
--What Were the Consequences of the Nationalization of the Banks in 1982?
--Did Mexico's Economic Woes in the 1980s Have Significant Political Consequences?
Chapter 9 Mexico's Democratic Transition
--How did Carlos Salinas Alter the Mexican Political Model?
--Why is the Presidential Election of 1988 a Benchmark for Democracy in Mexico?
--Who is Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas and What is the PRD?
--How Did Salinas Change Mexico's Economic Model and what is NAFTA?
--Who Are the Technocrats?
--When Did an Opposition Party Win its First Governorship in Mexico?
-- What was the Zapatista Uprising of 1994 and What were its political consequences?
--What Were the Consequences of the Zapatistas for Civil-Military Relations?
--Why is the Presidential Election of 1994 Considered a Second Benchmark in the Democratic Transition?
--What Was the Role of the Catholic Church in the 1994 Presidential Race?
--What Were the Consequences of the Assassination of the PRI Presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio in 1994?
--How Did President Zedillo Contribute to the Democratic Transition?
--What is the Mexican Bailout?
Part III: Mexico's Present and Future
Chapter 10: Mexico's Democratic Consolidation
Politics of Democracy
--Why was the 2000 Presidential Race Essential to Mexico's Democratization?
--Who is Vicente Fox?
--What is the Transparency Law?
--What is "Amigos de Fox"?
--What Was the Role of the Private Sector in the Democratic Consolidation?
--Who are the Most Important Interest Groups?
--What is the Role of the Media in the Process of Democratic Consolidation?
--What Role Did the United States Play in Mexico's Democratization?
--What Role Did Intellectuals Play in Mexico's Democratization?
--What Impact Has the Environmental Movement Played in Mexico?
Further Consolidation
--What Happened in the 2006 Presidential Race?
--Why Did Felipe Calderón Win the Election?
--Who is Manuel Andrés López Obrador?
--What is the Federal Electoral Institute?
--What do the Mexican People Think about the Government's War on Drugs?
--What Impact Does the Army's Mission Against Drug Cartels Have on Civil-Military Relations?
--How do Mexicans Define Democracy and How Committed Are They to Democratic Governance?
--What Do Mexicans Expect From Democracy?
Chapter 11: Cultural, Economic and Social Developments
--What are the Mexican Religious Beliefs and Religious Relationships?
--How Are the Drug Wars Influencing Cultural and Religious Behavior?
--What are Mexican Attitudes Toward Gender Roles?
--How Tolerant are Mexicans Toward Minority Groups?
--What is Mexico's Impact on Cultural Trends in the United States?
Chapter 12: What Lies Ahead?
Chronology of Mexican Presidents, 1964-2012
Selected Suggested Readings in English
Index