Sinembargo: Diego Petersen Farah*
...There are embassies to which you can send a President’s friend or a bothersome politician; but the United States embassy is not one of them. Mexico’s most important international relationship is with its northern neighbour, and for that reason it is the most delicate, intense and volatile relationship. This relationship is subjected to so many pressures and factors that no two days are the same.
One of the most serious mistakes that President Peña made was appointing Miguel Basáñez [in September 2015, after the previous ambassador, Eduardo Medina Mora, was appointed to the Supreme Court] as Mexican ambassador in Washington. Furthermore, it was his mistake, his decision that he made alone, for the worst and most basic of reasons – their friendship. It isn't a problem of ex-ambassodor Basáñez's intelligence; on that no one would under estimate. It is one of training and experience. [Basáñez holds a Ph.D. in political sociology from the London School of Economics and, before his appointment, was a professor in the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University]
The Secretariat of Foreign Affairs, together with the Treasury and the Bank of Mexico, is one of the few institutions in this country which has a career civil service. They form a stable foundation, which they develop and ensure, in a certain way that no matter what happens, they could withstand any crisis. Members of the Party of the Institutional Revolution complained bitterly when President Fox appointed Ernesto Derbez, an economist, as the head of the Secretariat, to replace Jorge Castañeda, who regardless of feelings for or against him, was recognised as someone prepared for the role. Calderón appointed Patricia Espinoza, a woman who took control of the office having 25 years of experience in foreign affairs, as Chancellor.
Peña Nieto ignored everything the PRI suggested. First, he named an economist [Medina Mora], who while very capable, having already been the Energy and Treasury Secretary, was completely ignorant of foreign affairs. After his departure came Claudia Ruiz Massieu, a lawyer who had previously been Tourism Secretary, who had absolutely no experience in international relations.
It was a lethal combination. A lack of experience in the Chancellor’s Office and the embassy in Washington led to a crisis. This terrible management, faced with Donald Trump’s onslaught, resulted in Mexico seeming weak and unable to defend itself. The task which Basáñez left to Carlos Sada Solana, a career diplomat, is not small [he has headed the Mexican consulates in several U.S. cities]. Mexico’s relationship with the United States is heading for a rough patch, even though “it may have been as it may have been”. Trump has already put the United States and Mexico’s relationship at the center of the debate in his presidential campaign. We’re in the eye of the hurricane; but the worse is still to come. Spanish original
*Diego Petersen Farah holds a degree in Communication Sciences. An information analyst, he has worked as an editor, assistant director and director in different print media in Mexico. He is the author of the novel 'Los que habitan el abismo', 'Those That Inhabit the Abyss'. He is a regular columnist for sinembargo.mx @DiegoPetersen