Bicentenial Dialogues. Mexico-US: 200 Years of Diplomatic Relations

In a moving ceremony that gathered numerous authorities from the UNAM and other universities in the U.S, among them the universities of Chicago, Loyola, UIC, DePaul, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Indiana, California State and Arizona State, the series organized by UNAM Chicago and the Center for Research on North America (CISAN), was formally inaugurated. Attending the event were directors of institutes and centers of the humanities, their respective professors, and researchers, as well as directors from representations of UNAM abroad as well as a substantial number of diplomats from Mexico, the U.S, Canada, Central and South America.

The key remarks were delivered by Guadalupe Valencia García, Coordinator for the Humanities at UNAM, who mentioned that almost half of the representations from our university abroad are in North America which is a testament of the importance that the university places in the diplomatic relations between Mexico and the United States and the academic, scientific and cultural interactions that have contributed to improved diplomatic exchanges between the two.

The Coordinator for International Relations (CRAI), Francisco Trigo Tavera, addressed the audience and referred to this series of dialogues as an effort that contributes to the academic analysis and reflections worthy of the importance of the relationship between two countries, that not only are great neighbors, but more importantly, are inhabited by millions of Mexicans and Americans that interact on both sides of the border. He underscored that this series of roundtables are the university´s contribution to the bilateral relationship, hence his gratitude towards all the academics and diplomats from North America taking part in the series.

The inauguration included remarks from representatives from both embassies. From the U.S William Ostick, Minister Counselor for Public Diplomacy and from the Mexican Embassy, Ix-Nic Iruegas director of the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington D.C.

Mr. Ostick referred to the efforts by the current U.S ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, to find innovative mechanisms that will allow an increase in student and academic exchanges between both countries, which he recognized, are well below what one would expect from two neighbors and friends. Meanwhile, Ix-Nic Iruegas considered this to be a pertinent moment to celebrate, evaluate and promote the diverse episodes in both country´s shared history as well as the need to reflect and advance solutions to mutual challenges.

The director of CISAN, Graciela Martínez-Zalce, considered that it would not be exaggerated to state that in our university the study of the United States has been prevalent in multiple areas therefore the importance of these dialogues that aim to articulate aspects about the many complex dimensions of our shared history. The director of UNAM Chicago, Guillermo Pulido, underscored that in a polarized world in which extremes threaten nature, peaceful coexistence and the development of societies, scientific knowledge, and the will to advance in conflict resolution become opportunities where universities and diplomats play a fundamental role in the study of U.S-Mexico relations.

FORMER AMBASSADORS, MARTHA BÁRCENA AND ANTHONY WAYNE, nbsp;FEATURE IN THE FIRST DIALOGUE OF THE SERIES
Under the title After two hundred years of U.S-Mexico diplomatic relations the series of dialogues began featuring diplomats like Martha Bárcena, who was the head our Embassy in Washington, and from the United States, former ambassador Earl Anthony Wayne, an experienced diplomat with ample knowledge about our country. The event was moderated by the director of CISAN, Graciela Martínez-Zalce.

Ambassador Bárcena celebrated the academic forum as her return “to freedom to express many ideas that one as a diplomat has to be cautious”. She referred to UNAM as a fundamental institution in Mexico’s development and the bilateral relations and made it clear that it is within academia where we should look for most transparency and the identification of problems, for that is the way it can help best on decision making.

The former representative of Mexico in Washington underscored the importance that the series of dialogues launched by UNAM Chicago and CISAN have, by satisfying the need for both countries to get to know each other more and better. This, while recognizing a profound lack of knowledge on how governments work and about the decision-making processes.

Former ambassador to Mexico, Anthony Wayne, agreed with Ms. Bárcena on the diagnosis and went further by stressing that one of the challenges that a diplomat from the United States faces, consists precisely in making sure that Americans understand, at least in some form, about the history that is so relevant for the bilateral relationship.

Both diplomats agreed that there is a lot of work to be done regarding cultural and academic cooperation. In that note, Ambassador Wayne was right on target in his criticism that none of the governments invest nearly enough in student exchanges.

Ambassador Bárcena referred to the relationship between Mexico and the United States as the most complex that there is in the world due to the variety of issues that they share, while the U.S diplomat considered that there is no other relationship that touches more directly, or affects the life of Americans, as the one between both countries. Wayne reminded the audience that in one day, at least before the pandemic, a million legal border crossings were registered each day and a million dollars traded each minute, which shows the vitality of the relationship. He recalled that trade has multiplied sixfold since the signing of the Free Trade Agreement in 1994. Nevertheless, Ambassador Bárcena mentioned that unfortunately now a days there is no North American vision, but one dominated by “Buy American”.

The U.S diplomat admitted that the relationship has gone through different stages. While during the Obama administration there was more coordinated work in solving common problems, or at least headed in that direction, the contrast could not be greater with the Trump era where tension increased substantially, regardless of it working in part thanks to the updating of the USMCA. Now, he concluded, we are witnessing an era where there is a desire for reinstating cooperation but with undeniable differences.

Both agreed that most of the issues shared by the two countries respond more to domestic interests than foreign policy interests. Ambassador Bárcena mentioned migration, border cooperation and security, which many times have a greater impact at the national levels. Ambassador Wayne referred to the term “intermestic”, that is, an international agenda dominated by domestic considerations.

Ambassador Bárcena underscored that the United States has given much more emphasis to three issues in its relationship with Mexico and those are security, trade and migration, while stressing the need to deal with other important issues such as the presence of the Mexican community in this country and its enormous contributions. She mentioned that it is impossible to talk about just one Mexican community, but rather several with different needs. She categorically denied that all Mexicans in the U.S are in need of protection, it is instead a growing sector in need of empowerment.

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