Mexico

Book

Pathways to Freedom

Authors: John Campbell, Grzegorz Ekiert, Joshua Kurlantzick, Shannon K. O'Neil, Carlos Pio, George Soroka, Jan Teorell, and Andrew Wilson

With concise historical analysis and forward-looking prescriptions, Pathways to Freedom offers an authoritative and accessible look at what countries must do to build durable and prosperous democracies—and what the United States and others can do to help.

See more in South Africa, Nigeria, Mexico, Brazil, Poland, Ukraine, Indonesia, Thailand, Democratization, Economic Development

Ask CFR Experts

Is it part of the U.S. anti-drug policy to sell weapons to Mexico to combat drug cartels?

Asked by Zub Merch

Under the security cooperation agreement called the Merida Initiative, the United States provides military and law enforcement assistance to the Mexican government in support of efforts to combat drug cartels and organized crime. The United States and Mexico jointly developed this agreement in response to a substantial increase in drug-related criminal activity and violence on both sides of the border.

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See more in North America, Mexico, United States, Defense/Homeland Security, Nation Building, Civil Society, Narcotics Control

News Release

Shannon O'Neil Urges U.S. to “Wake Up” to Mexico’s Prosperous Future, in New Book

Over seventy thousand people have been killed in narco-related crimes in Mexico in the past six years. Tales of grisly murders conveyed by American media shape the widespread perception of Mexico as a dangerous place, overrun by brutal drug lords. But there is far more to Mexico's story than this narrative would suggest, writes CFR Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies Shannon K. O'Neil, in Two Nations Indivisible: Mexico, the United States, and the Road Ahead.

See more in Mexico

Foreign Affairs Article

Mexico Makes It

Author: Shannon K. O'Neil

Even as Mexico continues to struggle with grave security threats, its steady rise is transforming the country's economy, society, and political system. Given the Mexico's bright future and the interests it shares with the United States in energy, manufacturing, and security, Washington needs to start seeing its southern neighbor as a partner instead of a problem.

See more in Mexico, Economics