Mexico Faces the 21st Century

by Donald E. Schultz (Editor), Edward J. Williams (Editor)

Overview

As Mexico approaches the 21st century, its problems seem to be rapidly overwhelming its prospects. Only a short time ago, with the passage of NAFTA, it appeared ready to catapult out of underdevelopment into the ranks of the industrialized countries. Then came 1994, the year of living dangerously, and suddenly Mexico appeared dangerously close to the brink of wholesale disintegration. What went wrong? And what are the prospects for the future? In Mexico Faces the 21st Century, a distinguished group of veteran Mexico watchers analyze the roots of the crisis and the outlook for political stability democratization, socioeconomic development, and U.S.-Mexican relations.

Among the subjects addressed are: the crisis of the Salinas years, the changing nature of the political system, the relations between the PRI and the opposition, the internal conflicts within the PRI, the emerging power of the narcotraffickers, the role of civil society, labor and the military, the Chiapas uprising, NAFTA, the current economic crisis, illegal migration, the U.S.-Mexican borderlands, and U.S.-Mexican national security issues. Though the prognosis is for a troubled future, the outlook is by no means hopeless: political violence and socioeconomic turmoil will continue, and relations with the United States will be more conflictual than anticipated. But Mexico will probably be able to avoid a full-scale revolutionary upheaval and will continue what is likely to be a long and difficult transition to democracy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313295188
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	12/11/1995
Series:	Contributions in Latin American Studies , #5
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.56(d)

About the Author

DONALD E. SCHULZ is an Associate Professor of National Security Affairs at the Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College. He has coauthored and coedited several books: The United States, Honduras, and the Crisis in Central America

ba and the Future (Greenwood, 1993)

Revolution and Counterrevolution in Central America and the Carribean

and Political Participation in Communist Systems.

EDWARD J. WILLIAMS is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Arizona. Among his best known works are Mexico's Central American Policy

e Rebirth of the Mexican Petroleum Industry

tin American Political Thought

and Latin American Politics: A Developmental Approach.

Table of Contents

Preface
Abbreviations
Crisis or Transformation? The Struggle for the Soul of Mexico by Donald E. Schulz and Edward J. Williams
Striving for Mexican Democracy: The PRI and the Opposition by Rod Camp
Mexico's Political Transition: The Emergence of Civil Society by Isidro Sepúlveda
The Mexican Military Approaches the 21st Century: Coping with a New World Order by Stephen J. Wager
State-Labor Relations in Mexico: Old Tendencies and New Trends by Maria Lorena Cook
Mexico's New Environmental Policy: An Assessment by Stephen P. Mumme
Free Trade with Mexico and U.S. National Security by Al Pérez
The NAFTA and Beyond: The United States-Mexican Borderlands in Transition by Edward J. Williams
Mexican Modernization's Consequences for Mexican Undocumented Labor Migration by Jesús Tamayo
The Zapatista Revolt and Its Implications for Civil-Military Relations and the Future of Mexico by Stephen J. Wager and Donald E. Schulz
Through a Glass Darkly: On the Challenges and Enigmas of Mexico's Future by Donald E. Schulz
Selected Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

A volume which evolved out of a conference titled "Mexico Looks to the 21st Century: Change and Challenge," held at the U. of Arizona in March, 1993. The 11 papers, significantly edited and updated, contain contributions by political scientists, historians, and US and Mexican government officials. Topics include the emergence of a new civil society, an assessment of new environmental policy, and the Zapatista revolt and its implications for civil-military relations and the future of Mexico. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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