Obama/Clinton to visit Mexico

Dear Readers,
US-Mexico relations are at a tense and defining moment. During Felípe Calderón's first two years as president, drug war violence has reached an all time high. Meanwhile, the effects of the U.S. financial and economic crisis are spilling over our southern border - with job loss and the devastation of family incomes and savings hitting Mexicans, just as they have in United States.
At the same time, disputes over NAFTA provisions have gone public, and some panicky voices in the U.S. national security establishment have even suggested that the overall disintegration of Mexico is so serious that the Mexican state itself is in danger of "catastrophic failure." This sense of crisis - whether manufactured or real - has reduced the focus on traditional, bi-lateral concerns like immigration policy.
On March 25th and 26th, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Monterrey, Mexico to lay the groundwork for an April 16th and 17th trip by President Barack Obama to Mexico City where he will meet with Mexico's president, Felípe Calderón. Additional preparatory visits by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Attorney General Eric Holder add to the sense that the new U.S. Administration is giving Mexico top priority.
As these official visits take place we will be intensifying our coverage of Mexico -- both on this list serve and our website. If you would like to receive Mexico-specific news on a regular basis, sign up here.
Linked to this message please find:
1. An excellent piece by our colleague Laura Carlsen, who lays out a case for skepticism regarding claims that Mexican cartels are orchestrating widespread violence on the U.S. side of the border;
2. A review of David Bacon's Illegal People: How Globalization Creates Migration and Criminalizes Immigrants by Ted Lewis recently published in Z Magazine;
3. A backgrounder on Mexico's appearance before the United Nations Human Rights Commission; and
4. An article from The Associated Press covering recent disputes over NAFTA trucking provisions that will be a front and center topic of bi-lateral conversations.
Sincerely,
Global Exchange


Source Global Exchange

as always, just passing it on