Mexico's relations with the United States since the 1980s: dependence and interdependence

• Grant number: 19/05303-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: August 05, 2019
• End date: July 24, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - International Politics
• Principal Investigator: Luis Fernando Ayerbe
• Grantee: Marcela Franzoni
• Supervisor: David Richard Mares
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia e Ciências (FFC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Marília. Marília , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 18/00711-8 - The Mexico's relations with the United States: the asymmetry and the interdependence, BP.DR

Abstract

The overall goal of the research internship abroad is to understand Mexico's relations with the United States from the 1980 debt crisis. We focus on two key variables, the migration and trade between the two countries. The hypothesis is that Mexico is not as weak as it assumes and maintains with the United States a relationship not only of dependence but also of interdependence. Mexico is an important export destination for Texas, California and New Mexico, and Mexicans are an important US labor force. However, although these elements of interdependence represent a possibility of greater autonomy in the international system, Mexico does not use them to increase its bargaining power. Mexico can not diversify its international economic relations with other states and regions. These signs of interdependence also do not allow Mexico to meet strategic demands with its neighbor, such as the negotiation of a migration policy. The research to be developed in the United States is part of the doctoral thesis entitled "Mexico's relations with the United States: asymmetry and interdependence". The methods presented in the period of the research internship are the bibliographical research as a way of complementing the theoretical discussion developed in Brazil, mapping the transnational companies with trade between the two countries and conducting interviews with entities of different natures - governments localities of San Diego and Tijuana, non-governmental organizations that carry out activities to protect migrants, businessmen and think tanks.