Mexico-U.S.Relations During The Fox Administration

Mexico is the only developing country bordering the United States,and the border between the two countries is more than 3,000 kilometers long.This unique geopolitical feature has an important impact on the development of Mexico-U.S.relations,which had a brief honeymoon period during the Fox administration from 2000 to 2006 when the two countries interacted closely in the political,economic and national security fields.However,the relations suffered setbacks due to irreconcilable conflicts and differences on other issues of national interests,such as immigration and agricultural subsidies.This paper focuses on the Mexico-U.S.relations during the Fox administration in four parts:a review of Mexico-U.S.relations,the achievements of Mexico-U.S.relations during the Fox administration,the manifestations of problems,and the measures to improve Mexico-U.S.relations.At the beginning of independence between Mexico and the United States,the two countries had similar levels of development and the gap in the economic sector was not significant.However,colonial rule and oligarchic traditions made the post-independence Mexico did not successfully embark on the development path of capitalism,while the United States blazed the trail of external expansion.In face of the ambitious United States,Mexico began the struggle to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.After the 1990s,a multipolar pattern gradually took shape.In order to participate in the process of economic globalization,Mexico introduced a series of economic reforms,and also signed the North American Free Trade Agreement(NAFTA)with the United States and Canada.During his term of office,Mexico and the United States established a series of political mechanisms for consultation and communication,while both were committed to promoting the process of regional cooperation in North America;in the economic sphere,Mexico-U.S.interdependence deepened,and the trade in goods and services between the two countries continued to develop,while the total amount and flow of two-way investment were In the economic field,Mexico and the U.S.have deepened their mutual dependence and developed trade in goods and services,while the total volume and flow of two-way investment have increased significantly;in the national security field,Mexico and the U.S.have carried out a variety of immigration and anti-drug cooperation,jointly establishing a "smart border" and increasing cooperation in drug enforcement.Although Mexico and the U.S.have achieved fruitful results in the fields of politics,trade and economy,and national security under the Fox administration,the two countries still have differences and conflicts over the Iraq War,trade and economy,immigration,and anti-drug issues.The rift in Mexico-U.S.relations after the Iraq War and the progress of the Free Trade of the Americas negotiations have not been smooth;at the same time,the differences and disputes between Mexico and the U.S.in the economic and trade fields have increased,and the dispute coordination mechanisms of NAFTA and the World Trade Organization have played an important role in easing the differences between the two sides.In terms of national security,after 9/11,the U.S.has tightened its control over immigration,while Mexico wants to promote the free movement of people within NAFTA.The post-Fox administrations have cooperated with the U.S.in political,economic and national security areas,and despite the friction in cooperation,the two countries have maintained relatively friendly relations under the influence of practical needs and common interests.In face of their differences on economic and trade,immigration and drug control issues,both the Mexican and U.S.governments have attached importance to the role of multilateral coordination mechanisms,deepening North American regional cooperation,and improving the global drug control system and global migration governance system.