You wouldn’t necessarily know it from the way we talk about Mexico, or the way our eyes wander to more exotic and distant lands, but the United States is inextricably united with our southern neighbor. Geography, history, culture (notice our city’s name isn’t in English?), and economics bind both countries. This is an underappreciated blessing. Contrary to what you may have heard, Mexico is a booming middle-class country, a stable democracy, and the number-two importer of U.S. goods. Like any marriage, the relationship has issues: immigration, drug violence, and environmental challenges. But the outlook for the partnership forged by NAFTA two decades ago and by millions of people crossing borders for a lot longer is a bullish one, especially if we start appreciating it. Playing the role of marriage counselor, Council on Foreign Relations Latin America analyst Shannon K. O’Neil, author of Two Nations Indivisible: Mexico, the United States, and the Road Ahead, visits Zócalo to ask whether both parties are getting all they can out of this relationship—and what they can do to improve it.
This event is presented in partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations.
Books will be available through Skylight Books.
The Takeaway
Will Mexico Conquer or Conk Out?
Shannon K. O’Neil Sees America’s Southern Neighbor At a Crossroads
Council on Foreign Relations Latin America analyst Shannon K. O’Neil, author of Two Nations Indivisible: Mexico, the United States, and the Road Ahead, was amazed by the enthusiasm she felt …