by Ellen Mass
This article is Part Five of a series on Mexico’s history and economic development. You can read Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four.
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In order to resurrect and strengthen Mexico’s position in Latin America, former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) advocated publicly for consolidating the burgeoning regional group, Community of Latin America and Caribbean States (CELAC). CELAC is a substitute for the Organization of American States (OAS), which was established largely by the US to function as a western advisory alliance against independence movements and communism. AMLO wanted to reform or scrap OAS’s role in election inspections. They distributed highly disputable or fraudulent reports against countries seeking sovereignty and advocated for the continuation of economic sanctions on Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, all countries choosing a different type of national development whose laws and constitutions limit foreign investment and resource extraction.
Since 1948 OAS policy has been opposed to regional alliances that exclude US involvement. Although composed of 35 Latin, Central, and North American countries, OAS’s policies allow the US to impose its hegemony on Southern nations through economic exploitation and the promotion of political conservatism. OAS complies with the 1994 US “Wolfowitz Doctrine” whose mission has been to prevent any other global power from emerging, challenging US dominance. Dream of a United America was AMLO’s original inter-regional plan. As head of CELAC, AMLO originally referred to the 3 countries of North America as members, but changed his mind with the harsh reality of an already conflicted relationship between Mexico and its Northern neighbors. He felt that the new ‘Latin American Alliance’ must first be fortified first, setting clear goals without interference from foreign interests. His thoughts were on national priorities, of ‘needs’ set by the will of El Pueblo, as the new constitution stipulates, taking center stage for the social foundation of CELAC. Although foreign corporate investment was never eliminated, a strong shift has been made in the public/private balance, increasing benefits shared on the popular level.
CELAC is not the first such effort. Well before AMLO’s presidency began in 2018, a great idealistic surge has spread throughout Latin America and the Caribbean in the last 25 years. It led to the creation of regional organizations such as UNASUR (the Union of South American Nations), ALBA (the Bolivarian Alliance for the People of our America), and CARICOM (the Caribbean Community). The purpose of these organizations has been to unite nations around fair trade agreements, and to unchain the currencies of these nations from the US dollar. The global communication satellite media of Telesur operates from Cuba and Venezuela, and formerly from Ecuador, to present ‘cutting edge’ news, culture, and sports previously absent from mainstream media.
The mission of CELAC today is to improve Latin America and Caribbean status internationally through new intercultural relations, economic self-sufficiency, and the integration of regional security. Venezuela’s revolutionary leader Hugo Chavez held the first meeting of CELAC in 2011. Its member nations have come and gone over the years for lack of consensus, but have tried to maintain a parity with OAS. They have good reason to stay engaged, if they are to retain strong sovereignty in their own countries. After months of delay, the most recent CELAC Summit arose this April from the loud clamor among 33 southern countries. It discussed a revitalized and more unified body of activist nations dedicated to local and regional economy building, civil and human rights protections, and progressive leadership. At the summit, President Arce of Bolivia pointed out that the protectionist tariff policies of Donald J. Trump helped instigate CELAC’s urgency to more tightly ally with one another.
In Mexico, the successful economic development model instituted by AMLO has gained the support of 85 percent of the population. His successor, President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo was elected Mexico’s first female president with 65 percent of the vote. Continuing AMLO’s policies, the Presidenta highlights what has become her crowning insignia: “For the good of all, the poor first.” Together with her economic success, her ‘well being’ program covers most workers, youth, indigenous, and senior populations. This governing philosophy has helped to boost Mexico’s status as the 14th strongest economy on the globe, surpassing countries like South Korea and Australia. Mexico’s success has also clearly stimulated CELAC’s goals. Mexico’s example of attention to its historical Latin American role and its people reject a too common perception that the southern half of the western hemisphere is merely the ‘back yard’ of the United States. Today, Mexico is a world trade hub and extraordinary alimentary export producer with amazing infrastructure building and a rare progressive Presidenta at the helm.
Watching Mexico’s successes, fellow CELAC member nations welcomed Claudia’s suggestions at the summit in Teguchigalpa. Speeches on April 9 welcomed the new CELAC Chair, Gustavo Petro from Columbia who received the gavel from Honduran President Pro-Tempe, Xiomara Castro, who said, “the Summit must be more than a Forum, but a tool for emancipation.” This recent Summit called for south of the border and Caribbean nations to develop work plans and committees for specific issues, looking past political differences between nations. Petro developed points of unity with a solid platform of unifying sovereignty principles and regional cost sharing for expensive projects saying, “we cannot go it alone” and “we must not stay lonely.” Referring to Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s 100 Years of Solitude, President Petro said, “we never want to see enslaved people brought to our shores again. We are in danger and we have a humanitarian mission…We are conducting a resurrection of our sovereignty with respect and solidarity as our underpinnings…Protectionism from the North has pushed Latin America into becoming a world power block.” He noted that a lack of sovereignty has come from acting alone. “They require mutual aid and collaboration, rather than seeking a miracle to save us…We must retain dignity, democracy, peace and light…CELAC must help Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela and Panama…They are under heavy pressure or siege from northern interests.”
Petro and also President Diaz Canal of Cuba mentioned that the summit must support Palestine as well as Haiti. A strong affirmative response resounded from the delegates and participants that international solidarity was part of their mission. The regional body plans to tackle specific projects including energy from the electrical grid, food sovereignty projects such as Mexico’s Sembrando Vita (Seeds for Life, the largest regional agricultural rebound projects in the western hemisphere), building medical and pharmaceutical centers that collaborate regionally, digital development, and especially expansive social welfare and housing programs for all countries. AI development, and fiber optic implementation was also on the list. Consensus decisions at the Summit were agreed in advance and were passed by a majority. Voluntary working groups will cover and promote key issues such as the Haiti blockade, inter- regional security protections, development of future meetings planned between CELAC and China, Africa, Amazon countries (ACTO), the European Union and others. With the present Trump Administration carrying a profound “back-yard” approach to Latin America, the mission, purpose and collaboration among nations will be an exciting evolution, fully possible with the success of Brazil and Mexico as mixed economies; and with Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua that continue to maintain their independence and success.
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Ellen Mass is a member of MAPA’s Latin America and Caribbean Working Group.