12.07.2006
Six More Years
I listened to Oscar Arias speak on Monday during his visit to Washington. Arias, president of Costa Rica once again, spoke of the sadness he felt for Mexico as an invited guest to Felipe Calderon’s inauguration.
The Economist has termed the beginning of Calderon’s presidency “a solid but unspectacular start.” I’m not sure that the term “solid” is what I would use to describe the chaos of the events leading up to the inauguration, as well as what it signified for the consolidation of democracy in Mexico.
Six years ago, Vicente Fox, representing the PAN, won a decisive victory (42.5% vs. 36.1%) that represented the first opening after decades of one-party rule by the PRI. The picture was rosier then as both Fox and George Bush met early in their respective presidencies with optimism for a productive US-Mexico relationship. Well, things look a little bit darker six years later on both sides of the Rio Grande. Calderon won by a fraction of a percentage point, needed bodyguards to take his oath of office, and I’ve been seeing way too many 1/20/09 bumper stickers around DC as the mainstream media begins the never-ending hum of Obama/Hillary/candidate X buzz.
Calderon’s many challenges range from migration to violence to drugs, not to mention his defeated opponent’s threat to operate a “parallel government.” One can only hope that his six years will follow a reverse trajectory than his neighbor to the north.
The Economist has termed the beginning of Calderon’s presidency “a solid but unspectacular start.” I’m not sure that the term “solid” is what I would use to describe the chaos of the events leading up to the inauguration, as well as what it signified for the consolidation of democracy in Mexico.
Six years ago, Vicente Fox, representing the PAN, won a decisive victory (42.5% vs. 36.1%) that represented the first opening after decades of one-party rule by the PRI. The picture was rosier then as both Fox and George Bush met early in their respective presidencies with optimism for a productive US-Mexico relationship. Well, things look a little bit darker six years later on both sides of the Rio Grande. Calderon won by a fraction of a percentage point, needed bodyguards to take his oath of office, and I’ve been seeing way too many 1/20/09 bumper stickers around DC as the mainstream media begins the never-ending hum of Obama/Hillary/candidate X buzz.
Calderon’s many challenges range from migration to violence to drugs, not to mention his defeated opponent’s threat to operate a “parallel government.” One can only hope that his six years will follow a reverse trajectory than his neighbor to the north.
# posted by Juanson : 5:19 PM
