The External View

What we Mexicans think of the world says a lot about us. Every two years, the CIDE [Center for Economic Research and Teaching] and the COMEXI [Board of Foreign Trade and Investment] take an x-ray of Mexican perceptions of the international scene. This photograph reflects a pragmatic people with little ideological baggage, who basically are worried about their security, well-being, and, interestingly, about the prestige of their country.

Mexicans know very well how to distinguish between their feelings and their interests. When asked the question, “How would you feel about Mexico and the United States forming only one country, if that would mean a better quality of life for you?”, 54 percent of those surveyed responded favorably. Fifty-five percent agreed to the dissemination in Mexico of ideas and customs of other countries. In addition, more than half of Mexicans are in favor of our country playing a more active role in globalization, including free trade.

Although we criticize it often, we care deeply for our country (81 percent responded so). Our hearts are closer to Latin America, but our heads and interests are in North America. The three countries we admire most are Canada and the U.S. (68 percent) with Spain in third place (64 percent). Those we least like are El Salvador, Israel and Iran.

These perceptions are based on perceptions derived by Mexicans through the news, statements made by political leaders, or from opinion. Three-quarters of the population have never traveled to foreign lands, and only two percent of Mexicans have left the country more than 10 times. A very small minority can support its opinion with personal experience. The U.S. is the country that rates highest in the survey for that reason, as well as the proximity and our migrant families, who bring direct information about our neighbor to the north.

Mexicans want our foreign politicians to concentrate their efforts in combating organized crime, protection of the environment, and promotion of Mexican culture. These are the three highest priorities.

The issue of culture strongly demands attention. Three of four Mexicans are sure that our culture is a powerful letter of introduction for the world. More than a question of pride, people perceive that through so-called soft-power, Mexico would be more respected and valued at an international level; its capacity for negotiation would be stronger. People perceive that admired countries are those that hold better positions in the world scene. This data should not be overlooked by our cultural authorities and diplomats.

Mexican politicians, beginning their campaigns for the presidency, should pay attention to the type of leadership Mexicans admire and repudiate. The three most appreciated heads of state are in the following order: Luis Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Barack Obama of the U.S. and Jose Luis Rodriguez of Spain. They all have more than 60 percent approval. By contrast, the leaders that generate the most rejection among Mexicans are Raul Castro of Cuba and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. For the majority of Mexicans, if the leader is good, his country is similarly appreciated. If, in their judgment, the leadership is poor, the image of the country is equally poor. Thus, we value making good decisions in the July elections, in order to be more satisfied the following year.

Last was the surprising result that the majority of Mexicans want our government to apply a migratory policy toward Central Americans that is identical in Washington for our migrants. That is to say, three of four Mexicans wanted to increase the control of our southern border or deport undocumented Central Americans. Also, they want to establish temporary worker programs, currently under discussion in the U.S. Congress. One could assume, then, that if the U.S. strengthens its border control, Mexicans would see it as an acceptable or, at least, understandable policy, because it is the same thing we would like to see on our border with Guatemala.

The mentality of Mexicans, regarding foreign countries, is changing faster than the political discourse. The issue of sovereignty is either seen as wrong or simply lacking the importance political parties usually give it. The majority of Mexicans welcome foreign investment, the cultural expression of other countries, and even more, international cooperation in fighting crime in Mexico. In summary, people want improvement in quality of life, and the more open to world trends, the better.