Mexico’s new president to shift dialogue with U.S., from drugs to economy

Washington Post. By William Booth and Nick Miroff
November 30, 2012

MEXICO CITY — On the eve of his inauguration and his party’s return to power, Mexico’s incoming President Enrique Peña Nieto has vowed to reshape his country’s education, business and energy sectors in ways that could have profound effects on the United States.

A dynamic politician, from an old autocratic political party, Peña Nieto has said he wants to change the conversation about Mexico in the United States, away from headless torsos and drug cartels to trade and manufacturing.

Together with the United States, Peña Nieto and his top advisors say Mexico wants to drill more oil, assemble more cars and build “better, faster, smarter bridges” to grow the $1 billion a day commerce across the the 2,000-mile border, already the busiest crossing in the world.

Peña Nieto, who takes office Saturday, and his team say they are ready to help the Obama administration and U.S. Congress implement a guest worker program to regulate the flow of Mexican labor to the United States, where an estimated 6 million Mexicans live illegally. Read more.