Just as we in the U.S. are facing a contentious election in November, our immediate neighbors to the south have recently been through one, with the inauguration of their new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, scheduled for October 1st.

But Mexico’s outgoing president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, is still in charge for another month, and he doesn’t seem inclined to rest on his laurels during that time. He has been busily working on a package of constitutional changes that he hopes to push through the Congress, some of which — specifically major changes to the judiciary and some regulatory agencies — have both the U.S. and Canada concerned.

And President Lopez Obrador has not taken kindly to the criticisms lodged by the ambassadors from his northern neighbors. But rather than sitting down for a friendly chat, he has chosen to halt diplomatic relations with the U.S. and Canadian embassies.

“Sorry . . . what was that again?“

You read me correctly. At his daily press conference on Monday, he said the “pause” is with the embassies, and not the countries, and that relations would be reestablished once the U.S. and Canadian ambassadors are “respectful of the independence of Mexico, of the sovereignty of our country.” [Abel Alvarado, CNN, August 27, 2024.]

Now, ordinarily this would have seemed like just another little diplomatic kerfuffle that would no doubt be straightened out in a matter of days. But in light of President-Elect Sheinbaum’s inclusion of Vladimir Putin on her inaugural invitation list, and the fact that Mexico has not severed ties with Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine, the last thing we need is for our historically friendly neighbor . . .

Oh-oh . . .

Wait just a moment here. Those words — “historically friendly” — brought something back to my mind. They reminded me of Putin’s statement, when he congratulated Sheinbaum on her election, to the effect that Mexico is Russia’s “historically friendly partner in Latin America.” [See my post on 8/8/24: “What’s Going On In Mexico?”]

Now, in a perfect world, it is possible to have more than one friend at a time. But when you’re talking about Russia and the U.S. — or Russia and just about any Western country — that’s not necessarily the case.

And the very last thing the world needs at present is a diplomatic tug-of-war. We’re juggling enough explosive issues right now, thank you. So could we all — Mexico, Canada and the U.S. — please just sit down and talk this over like grownups, somebody apologize, somebody else accept the apology, and let’s get back to the business of keeping the world from imploding.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/28/24