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BLASTING US ‘RECKLESSNESS,’ MEXICO PAUSES EMBASSY RELATIONS OVER
JUDICIAL REFORM MEDDLING  
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Brett Wilkins
August 27, 2024
Common Dreams
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_ "They have to learn to respect Mexico's sovereignty," Mexican
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said of the U.S. and Canada
after their ambassadors weighed in on his controversial proposal. _

, AMLO speaking during the mañanera on August 28. Photo: Presidencia
Mexico

 

Outgoing Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador put the
embassies of the United States and Canada on time out Tuesday after
their top diplomats and other influential figures weighed in against
controversial proposed reforms to Mexico's judicial system.

"The relationship with Ken Salazar is good, but it's on pause. We're
going to give ourselves our time," López Obrador—who is widely
known as AMLO— said
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press conference, referring to the U.S. ambassador. The president said
the "pause" also applies to Canada, whose ambassador, Graeme Clark,
voiced alarm over the proposed reforms.

"They have to learn to respect Mexico's sovereignty, because we are
not going to give them advice there, nor to say that it is okay and
what is wrong," he added. "We want them to be respectful, there is a
reciprocal relationship in terms of sovereignty."

López Obrador's move came after Salazar asserted
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week that "popular direct election of judges is a major risk to the
functioning of Mexico's democracy."

"We understand the importance of Mexico's fight against judicial
corruption. But direct political election of judges, in my view, would
not address judicial corruption nor would it strengthen the judicial
branch of government," the ambassador continued. "It would also weaken
the efforts to make North American economic integration a reality and
would create turbulence as the debate over direct election will
continue over the next several years."

"I believe faith and trust in the rule of law are one of the many
shared values which unite our nations, while for the private sector,
they lay the groundwork for building confidence and inspiring
investment in a stable and predictable environment," Salazar added.

Clark subsequently said that Canadian "investors are concerned; they
want stability, they want a judicial system that works if there are
problems."

López Obrador accused the ambassadors of "recklessness" during his
Tuesday press conference, adding that "there are things that only
concern our country."

It's not just the ambassadors. On Tuesday, U.S. Senate Foreign
Relations Committee Chair Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member James
Risch (R-Idaho), and Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)
said in a joint statement
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they "are deeply concerned that the proposed judicial reforms in
Mexico would undermine the independence and transparency of the
country's judiciary, jeopardizing critical economic and security
interests shared by our two nations."

"We are also alarmed that several other constitutional reforms
currently under discussion may contradict commitments made in the
U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement, which is scheduled for review in
2026," the senators added.

The Global Enterprise Council, the Mexico City-based lobbyist for 63
multinational corporations operating in Mexico—including Walmart,
American Express, AT&T, General Motors, Microsoft, and ExxonMobil—is
also opposing the proposed judicial reforms, as are other
organizations including the New York City Bar Association
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the _Washington Post_editorial board
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López Obrador's "Plan C" proposes a sweeping overhaul
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Mexico's corruption-ridden judiciary. The plan's most controversial
reform would make judges at all levels of the judiciary—who are
currently appointed—elected officials. All current sitting judges
would be up for election in 2025 and 2027.

The president argues these reforms are necessary to combat corruption
and impunity in Mexico's judicial system. He has accused
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Supreme Court justices of being "supporters of the oligarchy, not of
democracy" and says they oppose Plan C because "they do not want a
government of the people."

Plan C—which came after an earlier proposal was blocked by the
Supreme Court—has sparked nationwide protests
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opponents, who say López Obrador is trying to weaken the judiciary
and the National Electoral Institute and entrench his ruling Morena
party as former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, a close ally of
the president, prepares to replace him on October 1 after winning
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election in a landslide.

Tensions between Mexico and the United States have been mounting for
months over Mexican perceptions of U.S. meddling, including dubiously
timed corporate media reports
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alleged links between López Obrador and drug cartels.

Last week, López Obrador said
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Salazar's statement "expressing a position on this strictly domestic
matter of the Mexican state represents unacceptable interference,
contravenes the sovereignty of the United Mexican States, and does not
reflect the degree of mutual respect that characterizes the relations
between our governments."

"This is an overtly interventionist attitude; I hope it does not
happen again," he added.

In separate remarks last week, López Obrador also accused the U.S. of
funding organizations working to undermine the Mexican government
under the guise of human rights.

For example, the U.S. Agency for International Development—whose
decadeslong history of meddling in Latin America runs the gamut
from kidnapping and torturing
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Uruguayans to death for instructional purposes to an attempt at
toppling Cuba's revolutionary government by infiltrating
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island's hip-hop scene—has financially supported
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Against Corruption and Impunity, a frequent critic of the López
Obrador administration.

During his Tuesday press conference, López Obrador reminded Mexicans
of centuries of U.S. aggression and meddling in Mexico's internal
affairs.

"For many years… the United States has applied an interventionist
policy throughout America, ever since it established the Monroe
Doctrine," he said.

López Obrador recounted how Mexico lost half its territory as a
result of the 1846-48 U.S. invasion
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out on false pretexts decried
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young congressman from Illinois named Abraham Lincoln—and endured
seven months of U.S. occupation of Veracruz in 1914.

The president stressed that having trade agreements with the U.S. does
not mean that Washington has the right to meddle in Mexican affairs.

"The treaty is not for us to cede our sovereignty, the treaty is about
trade, about forging good economic and commercial ties that suit both
nations," he said
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"But that doesn't mean Mexico must become an appendix, a colony, or a
protectorate."

_Brett Wilkins is a staff writer for Common Dreams._

_Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of
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* Mexico
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* democracy
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* Sovereignty
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* NAFTA
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