Mexico's Undiplomatic Diplomats

Tell me what you think of this article.

http://www.city-journal.org/html/15_4_mexico.html

The opinion piece makes a lot of unsubstanciated assumptions about immigration and then takes Mexico's diplomats to task because they might hold opinions that difffer from the author's opinions.

A pretty lame argument, IMHO.

Edited to add;

I just read a little more and it comes off as race baiting propagandistic trash. It's a bunch of BS.

The article is interesting, I'll say that.

Some of the facts in the article are correct, but the way the facts are used does not always convey the truth. Let me give you an example.

"Since 1990, Mexico has embarked on a series of initiatives to import Mexican culture into the U.S. Mexico’s five-year development plan in 1995 announced that the “Mexican nation extends beyond . . . its border”—into the United States. Accordingly, the government would “strengthen solidarity programs with the Mexican communities abroad by emphasizing their Mexican roots, and supporting literacy programs in Spanish and the teaching of the history, values, and traditions of our country.”

yes, Mexico like every other country in the world, exports its culture. All countries do it to improve the perception of their country abroad. Mexico has a big job to do to keep the image of Mexico positive in the US. Suffice it to say that diplomacy is always a two way street.

yes, Mexico as a nation now extends into the US. When close to 10 percent of your population lives in one foreign country, what would you call it? Some Mexicans call it unfortunate, some of them call it a national disgrace, recently they've been calling it a detriment to Mexico's national well-being and development, and some...call it an opportunity.

Mexicans who ditched Mexico for the United States used to be called traitors, or something close to it, for choosing the US over Mexico. But over that same 1990 to the present time period a lot of that has changed. Mexicans used to be legally prohibited from being dual citizens. That's no longer the case. Mexicans abroad sending money back to Mexico represent the second biggest source of money entering Mexico, behind only oil. And in 2006 for the first time, Mexicans living in the US will be eligible to vote for a Mexican Presidential candidate, while living in the US. So while it used to be that Mexico's government and other groups wrote off their ex-pats, that's no longer the case. Mexico changed its own official attitude about their ex-pats, and this is behind a lot of their activity in the US now.

Pat Buchanan said this week in the paper that US employers are the ones inducing illegal immigration by offering wages only immigrants will take. Thus he urged everyone to reject the current offering of the administration, where in exchange for reducing the flow of illegals, business gets to keep depressing wages by having guest workers earn a pittance. Buchanan urged rejecting this deal that the administration is offering the American people. I thought that was interesting too.

the issues are complex, and the article has a point of view and some facts to support it. I'm glad someone took up the subject. The subject is bigger than an article can cover.

Welcome to DU!! :toast: