Experts discuss the current security situation in Mexico, and how the United States can help combat shared security threats.

This session was part of a CFR symposium, U.S.-Mexico Relations Beyond the 2012 Election, which was made possible by the generous support of the Mexican Business Council.

President Obama's Upcoming Trip to South America and Opportunities to Strengthen The U.S.-South America Relationship

Jose W. Fernandez, Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy and Business Affairs, discusses the need to emphasize development as economic growth with social inclusion. During a recession, efforts should focus on the intersection of business and development, or how to foster growth"while making a buck," according to Secretary Fernandez.

Experts forecast the developments of U.S.-Mexico relations as a result of the new U.S. Congress, the need for Mexico to increase foreign direct investment in the face of investor insecurity caused by violence and organized crime.

This session was part of a CFR symposium, 200 Years of U.S.-Mexico Relations: Challenges for the 21st Century, which was made possible through generous support from the Consulate General of Mexico in New York, the Mexican Cultural Institute of New York, and CFR's Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative.

Session Three of a Council on Foreign Relations Symposium on Organized Crime in the Western Hemisphere: An Overlooked Threat? Subject: Regional and Multilateral Policy Responses. Held at the Council on Foreign Relations, New York.

CFR's Shannon O'Neil discusses the challenges Mexico faces in combatting drug cartels. Improving the security situation, she argues, depends on strengthening Mexico's democratic institutions.

Barry R. McCaffrey, President, BR McCaffrey Associates LLC; Adjunct Professor of International Affairs, United States Military Academy; Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy (1996-2001), and Shannon K. O'Neil, Douglas Dillon Fellow for Latin America Studies, Council on Foreign Relations discuss President Obama's US foreign policy with repect to its relations with Mexico.