Whether or not the Biden visit was "interference" in Mexican politics depends, of course, on which side of the border you are. The overriding interference by the U.S. in Mexico is its insistance, made clear by Biden, that Mexico continue the drug war. Biden, after the meetings, celebrated that all three candidates opened their meetings by committing themselves to continuing the war--without his having to bring it up. That says just how powerful U.S. interference in Mexico is.
Milenio: "The U.S. today dismissed that there was any act on its part of "interfering" in the Mexican electoral process that will culminate in elections on July, referring to the exchange of ideas between Vice President Joe Biden and three Mexican presidential candidates.
"The visit and the meetings that Biden had with the candidates were to "share ideas and see that, whoever wins, we are very willing to work with whomever the next president may be," said Mike Hammer, Under Secretary of State for Public Affairs .
Asked about the alleged perception in Mexico that the interviews were seen as an "interventionist" act, the official denied the notion and said that "in many countries we meet with presidential candidates or members of the opposition. We are waiting for the Mexican people to decide and then we'll talk," he said at a news conference.
He reiterated that no matter who wins the election on 1 July, the U.S. wants to continue the "very good" bilateral cooperation in a wide range of topics. He pointed out that both countries work together on issues of drug trafficking, migration and climate change, and emphasized the "close" economic relations.
He also denied that the relationship between the U.S. and Latin America, especially Mexico, has a particular focus on drug trafficking. He emphasized that no work on issues important to the relationship with Latin America has been neglected, such as the advance of free trade agreements, improving economies in the region, or issues of energy, among others.
Hammer underlined that the U.S. has an "open" relationship with the region and noted that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made 14 trips to 17 countries in Latin America." Spanish original
The MexicoBlog of the Americas Program, a fiscally sponsored program of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), is written by Laura Carlsen. I monitor and analyze international press on Mexico, with a focus on security, immigration, human rights and social movements for peace and justice, from a feminist perspective. And sometimes I simply muse.
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