in english
Mexico is experiencing a "perfect political storm" in the case of the 43 missing students of Iguala seems to be the straw that has exhausted the patience of a society today more informed and more tools, thanks to social networks, to manifest dissatisfaction and "malaise". Journalists, political analysts and experts discussed Tuesday at the Center for Strategic and Institutional Studies (CSIS) in Washington the situation facing the government of Enrique Peña Nieto.
On the table for discussion jointly organized by El Pais and the Press Club political crises-Iguala was exposed to corruption scandals of the Mexican government currently lives. But were also analyzed both the growing economic question facing the country as the "uncertainty" surrounding a future for Mexico in which neither the opposition parties seem to have been able to react or capitalize the deep social discontent.
Impunity is the rule, not paying powerful, unaccountable human rights, corruption
José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at HRW
Jan participated in the debate Martínez Ahrens, chief correspondent of El País in Mexico; the Americas director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), José Miguel Vivanco; José Díaz Briseño, Washington correspondent for MundoFox; Carl Meacham, director of the CSIS Americas Program, and Muni Jensen, political analyst at the Press Club, whose director, Juan Carlos Iragorri, moderated the discussion.
The diagnosis was unanimous: Mexico is in the "change of cycle" still unpredictable consequences, with a "perfect political storm" that has overshadowed the reform efforts of the Government and that is causing a "crisis of confidence" in which politicians no match is fought, summed Martínez Ahrens.
The big question is whether both the government and the opposition will be able to respond to a "structural" problem that the country dragged from previous mandates. And all this in a way able to convince a society that feels "very pessimistic" and has demonstrated their anger with a problem that comes from afar, with protests force--and whose main feature is its transversality, stressed the coterie.
"What Mexican society wants to see is some kind of effective accountability," said the journalist Briseño.
Vivanco, whose organization has been very hard on what he considers a delayed response team Peña Nieto massacres like that of Tlatlaya meet or said about it as one of the key problems the lack of convictions for enforced disappearances, scourge afflicting the country since 2006. "Impunity is the rule, not paying powerful, unaccountable human rights, corruption," he lamented, at the same time demanded real changes, "no quick fix" .
Something that will only happen if Mexican society continues to press, Martínez said Ahrens. "An outraged society I obliges governments to change, indignation is a stepping motor," he said.
Another factor that might motivate a profound reform of the practices of Mexican politics that have led to the widely impunity in the country to atrocities as Iguala is international pressure, starting with the powerful neighbor Mexico, United States. Washington "needs to be put in a slightly more explicit," Meacham, CSIS said.
"We need international pressure, the government of Peña Nieto is very sensitive to international pressure from the US, Europe," agreed Vivanco, for whom the next meeting between Peña Nieto and President Barack Obama on January 6 in White House is the perfect platform for this.
"The bad image that today has Peña Nieto will hurt and we have to capitalize on international pressure that results in reforms," he claimed.
Mexico is experiencing a "perfect political storm" in the case of the 43 missing students of Iguala seems to be the straw that has exhausted the patience of a society today more informed and more tools, thanks to social networks, to manifest dissatisfaction and "malaise". Journalists, political analysts and experts discussed Tuesday at the Center for Strategic and Institutional Studies (CSIS) in Washington the situation facing the government of Enrique Peña Nieto.
On the table for discussion jointly organized by El Pais and the Press Club political crises-Iguala was exposed to corruption scandals of the Mexican government currently lives. But were also analyzed both the growing economic question facing the country as the "uncertainty" surrounding a future for Mexico in which neither the opposition parties seem to have been able to react or capitalize the deep social discontent.
Impunity is the rule, not paying powerful, unaccountable human rights, corruption
José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at HRW
Jan participated in the debate Martínez Ahrens, chief correspondent of El País in Mexico; the Americas director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), José Miguel Vivanco; José Díaz Briseño, Washington correspondent for MundoFox; Carl Meacham, director of the CSIS Americas Program, and Muni Jensen, political analyst at the Press Club, whose director, Juan Carlos Iragorri, moderated the discussion.
The diagnosis was unanimous: Mexico is in the "change of cycle" still unpredictable consequences, with a "perfect political storm" that has overshadowed the reform efforts of the Government and that is causing a "crisis of confidence" in which politicians no match is fought, summed Martínez Ahrens.
The big question is whether both the government and the opposition will be able to respond to a "structural" problem that the country dragged from previous mandates. And all this in a way able to convince a society that feels "very pessimistic" and has demonstrated their anger with a problem that comes from afar, with protests force--and whose main feature is its transversality, stressed the coterie.
"What Mexican society wants to see is some kind of effective accountability," said the journalist Briseño.
Vivanco, whose organization has been very hard on what he considers a delayed response team Peña Nieto massacres like that of Tlatlaya meet or said about it as one of the key problems the lack of convictions for enforced disappearances, scourge afflicting the country since 2006. "Impunity is the rule, not paying powerful, unaccountable human rights, corruption," he lamented, at the same time demanded real changes, "no quick fix" .
Something that will only happen if Mexican society continues to press, Martínez said Ahrens. "An outraged society I obliges governments to change, indignation is a stepping motor," he said.
Another factor that might motivate a profound reform of the practices of Mexican politics that have led to the widely impunity in the country to atrocities as Iguala is international pressure, starting with the powerful neighbor Mexico, United States. Washington "needs to be put in a slightly more explicit," Meacham, CSIS said.
"We need international pressure, the government of Peña Nieto is very sensitive to international pressure from the US, Europe," agreed Vivanco, for whom the next meeting between Peña Nieto and President Barack Obama on January 6 in White House is the perfect platform for this.
"The bad image that today has Peña Nieto will hurt and we have to capitalize on international pressure that results in reforms," he claimed.
