Changes In The Early 21st Century, The Decision-making Mechanisms Of Foreign Affairs Of Mexico

Modern Mexican Foreign Policy Decision-Making Mechanism can be dividedinto two periods. The year from1929to2000is the first period in which Mexico’sInstitutional Revolutionary Party ruled the country for71consecutive years. Thediplomatic decision-making mechanism of this period is characterized by:1) thePresident of Mexico was the absolute core;2) Congress had no real power;3) themechanism was runed in the will of the Institutional Revolutionary Party.The second period started from2000to the present. Mexico’s National ActionParty won the election victory in2000and2006general elections in a row. TwoNational Action Party governments came to power, breaking the political myth ofInstitutional Revolutionary Party keeping in power for71consecutive years. Byrotation of the ruling party, changes emerged among the decision-making body,process and results of the Mexico Foreign Policy Decision-Making Mechanism. Withrespect to legislation-administrative power systems relation, the mode "the decision ofthe President-Congress passed" before has changed into the "President’sdecision-Congress Participated" mode. Within the administrative system, once themechanism was runed in the will of the PRI. Nevertheless, political party influenceweakened and democratic atmosphere enhanced in the mechanism. There are threemajor changes:1) weakening of presidential power,2) enhanced Congress power,3)the Cabinet decision-making process being more democratic. To sum up, thefundamental change is that the democratization of Mexican Foreign PolicyDecision-Making Mechanism.The reasons for the changes of Mexican Foreign Policy Decision-MakingMechanism are analysed both in macro leval and in micro leval. In the macro level,the international and domestic political democratization, economic globalization andinformationization promote the process of democratization of the Mexican ForeignPolicy Decision-Making Mechanism. There are three reasons in the micro level:1),President of the National Action Party came to power, the ruling party’s translocation;2) the composition of the cabinet more diversified, enhanced democratic atmosphere; 3) change of the party constitutes of Congress, and the increased power of Congress.