Training Professionals. ORBEM’s Contributions to the Internationalization of Higher Education

The academic study of the relationship between Mexico and the United States goes beyond the realm of politics. Geographical proximity and historical roots have established political, social and economic ties, making mutual understanding and knowledge sharing a priority. The Observatory on the Mexico-United States Bilateral Relationship (ORBEM) was created in 2018 within UNAM’s Faculty of Political and Social Sciences (FCPyS), affiliated with the Center for International Relations. It is a multidisciplinary, permanent project created in 2018, when the agenda of then president, Donald Trump, meant a redefinition of the binational relationship.

But how has ORBEM contributed to the internationalization of public higher education in Mexico? The core of the observatory are the undergraduate students from the FCPyS, who carry out various activities in addition to research, such as building databases, updating the website and helping with content dissemination through social networks. Moreover, they contribute to the planning, logistics, and editorial process of Revista ORBEM (ORBEM Magazine), the organization of the University Encounter, the Observando podcast and the Boletín ORBEM (ORBEM Newsletter). All this work is nourished by the collaborative efforts of professors and researchers from within and outside UNAM, in Mexico and in the United States, as well as various institutions such as the Historical and Diplomatic Archive of the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (AHD-SRE), Consejería Jurídica (Legal Counsel), the Program of Studies on North America of the University of Veracruz (PEAN-UV), the University Seminar on Studies on International Displacement, Migration, Exile and Repatriation (SUDIMER), and the National General Archive (AGN), as well as other temporary projects with institutions like the Casa de la Universidad de California, the Mexican Consulate in Salt Lake City, the University of Utah, the Utah Historical Society and UNAM’s office in Los Angeles. It is here that this contribution of the Observatory takes place at UNAM.

ORBEM’s work involves the monitoring and study of binational issues. The Observatory launches a range of academic outputs such as the Revista ORBEM, the University Meeting and the Observando podcast, maintains a strong presence on social media platforms and organizes academic activities and book presentations. Throughout these initiatives, ORBEM strives to disseminate both contemporary and historical events, balancing language that does not neglect technical accuracy and the graphic presentation of the information.

ORBEM Magazine (https://observatoriobinacional.politicas.unam.mx/?page_id=2583) aims to disseminate knowledge and promote academic interest among young people, as well as increase awareness of the binational agenda by presenting current and historical perspectives. One of its four sections is dedicated to publishing student papers, which are selected through an open call for submissions. To date, 14 issues are available, one of which is a special edition created in collaboration with the Mexican Consulate in Salt Lake City, commemorating its 110^th anniversary. This issue was the product of a partnership forged in January 2022 with the consulate, the AHD-SR and the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Utah (CLAS-UoU), which led to a series of projects. Subsequently, the Utah Historical Society joined forces to translate into English a selection of revised and expanded texts from the special issue of Revista ORBEM. This collaboration led to the publication of volume 92, number 1, of the Utah Historical Quarterly. Simultaneously, the Observatory team in partnership with academics and students from the CLAS-UoU, under the guidance of Professor Susie Porter, conducted an extensive research project on the history of the Mexican Consulate in Salt Lake City. This research, undertaken within the framework of the Isidro Fabela 2022 Program of the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs, is soon to be published under the title Memorias del Consulado de México en Salt Lake City, 1911-1947.

Another form of collaboration with the public sector involves the joint effort with the SRE’s Legal Counsel since August 2021, on the civil lawsuit that Mexico filed in Massachusetts’ federal court against gun manufacturers and distributors, and subsequently on the civil lawsuit with the same objectives before the federal court for the district of Arizona.

ORBEM’s work has centered on the weekly monitoring of both national and international media coverage on fire arms regulation in the United States. This encompasses mass shootings, reports related to gun trafficking, statements from key actors, and the ongoing coverage of the lawsuit and public opinion on the Mexican government’s actions and gun control; monthly monitoring of civil society organizations in the United States related to gun control; the development of a database that contributed to the creation of the repository anchored in the AHD-SRE website, based on the ordering, systematization and synthesis of information; special podcasts with key actors on the issue of gun control; the elaboration of a database that contributed to the creation of the repository anchored in the AHD-SRE webpage, with ordering, systematization and synthesis of the information; the special podcasts with key actors of the demand; the special events such as the seminar “The Diverse Edges of Armed Violence in Mexico and the United States as a Consequence of the Lax Practices of Arm Trading” (see https://observatoriobinacional.politicas.unam.mx/?page_id=2459), held in collaboration with the SRE Legal Counsel and the Institute for Mexicans Abroad (IME). In addition, the monitoring of the ongoing presidential campaigns in the United States, with particular attention given to issues relevant to Mexico, including two that have gained significant public attention: immigration policies and the fentanyl crisis.

Finally, in 2023 ORBEM and SUDIMER welcomed Mexican American students from the University of Utah, who engaged in discussion on complex topics in the bilateral relationship, such as mass shootings, security and migration, and the challenges faced by migrants in refuges. The visitors also had the opportunity to try “authentic” tacos, as they called them themselves, bringing them closer to Mexican cuisine. In 2024, graduated students from UNAM’s Political and Social Sciences program and members of ORBEM participated in our most recent activity, an open dialogue with graduate students from the UoU. With openness and mutual respect, the discussion covered topics such as security, the fentanyl crisis, commerce, and the migration crisis. Both groups also enjoyed a guided tour of UNAM’s murals, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

As a project within the FCPyS, ORBEM is committed to developing tools for teaching, research and dissemination, with the primary goal of putting knowledge in service of young people and contributing to mutual understanding between both countries through knowledge sharing and open dialogue.

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