Mexico: About Sunday Night…

Amid persistent chants of “presidente” from his supporters, Andrés Manuel López Obrador took the stage Sunday night to give his acceptance speech and make history as the country’s first president who was not part of the country’s two major political parties. Amid persistent chants of “presidente” from his supporters, Andrés Manuel López Obrador took the…

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Mexico: Ready to launch, AMLO minus…

It’s been over a month since President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador swept the election to become Mexico’s next leader. With 53 percent of the votes, López Obrador won every Mexican state except Guanajuato, and received a higher percentage of the overall vote than any of the past four presidents. The electoral mandate wasn’t only at the federal…

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Oh, Canada!

On Monday—just over one year since Mexico, Canada, and the United States officially began the NAFTA renegotiations—President Donald Trump announced the “The United States – Mexico Trade Agreement.” During an impromptu press conference in the Oval Office, Mexican and U.S. officials declared that they had finally moved beyond the thorniest issues including auto content and…

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USMCA, just don’t call it NAFTA.

It’s been thirteen months, nine official rounds of negotiations, countless side meetings, and a brief period where Canada’s participation appeared precarious, but this past Sunday night, the U.S., Mexican, and Canadian negotiators finally announced a new regional trade agreement. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) builds on the old NAFTA and pulls in much of the modernization that had been…

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AMLO, now it’s El Presidente

Over the past few weeks, I’ve met with investors, corporate directors, and foreign-policy focused groups who are all acutely interested in Mexico’s ongoing political transition. Regardless of the sector, everyone has questions on what to expect from the next Mexican administration. President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador will assume office on December 1st with overwhelming majorities in both houses of…

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Mexico and the world: “Uncertainty, the new norm.”

It’s hard to believe that there are less than two weeks to go before the end of the year and the holiday season is now upon us. Over the past 12 months, I’ve been privileged to work with talented colleagues at White & Case, who have earned a host of recognitions and awards. I hope each…

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USMCA, The path to passage

The following piece first appeared in BRINK, a publication focused on presenting perspectives from experts on risk and resilience around the world. You can find it here, or continue reading. USMCA, The path to passage. North America’s countries can expect continued uncertainty. On November 30, President Trump joined then-Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Canadian Prime…

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Shutdown averted, USMCA and Energy Reform still big question marks.

Yesterday, President Trump appeared to back away from his threat to close the U.S.-Mexico border. The change of tone was a relief, especially for the North American business and border communities that would be paralyzed from the halted cross-border trade and movement.

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A Tariff, Gone Too Far…

Later today, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, United States Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet regarding the Trump administration’s announcement that they will apply 5 percent tariffs on all goods coming from Mexico (set to start on June 10), if Mexico does not stop migrants from reaching the United States. It’s…

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A sweltering summer, and market fall.

This past Monday, the Trump administration delayed the full onset of another round of tariffs against consumer goods from China through December. It was welcome news, but not enough to reverse current market trends or to keep China from promising countermeasures. By all indicators, the global economy is steadily cooling down and the United States and other major economies…

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Mi Opinión

Commentary: Guest worker visas would ease border situation

The following piece first appeared in the San Antonio Express-News. You can find it here, or continue reading. President Joe Biden’s first 100 days have been tested by tens of thousands of people arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. It’s a situation we’ve seen many times before, but a variety of conditions have exacerbated the problem.…

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A (virtually) new era of North American relations

President Biden used his first two virtual foreign visits to usher in a new era of North American relations with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.  During the meetings, Trudeau and López Obrador requested Biden’s support in securing U.S.-produced COVID-19 vaccinations, and the U.S. responded. Yesterday, the Biden administration pledged to send the AstraZeneca vaccine—which is…

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A big freeze; a need for US/Mexico cooperation on Energy.

I’m writing to you from Texas where the past ten days have been extremely challenging. The U.S. just passed the milestone of 500,000 COVID-19 deaths and losses are continuing to mount from our rare winter storm.  Last week’s record cold temperatures led to a surge in energy demand as Texans attempted to heat their homes. The state’s…

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US and Mexico: Real engagement, or simply cordial?

Last Wednesday’s inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris is certainly still on all of our minds. The past few months have been a turbulent time for U.S. democracy. Biden now faces an unprecedented health and economic crisis, and must also navigate Donald Trump’s impeachment trial in the Senate and the investigation of the…

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