'Little Civil Wars' Reveal the Social and Political Struggles Transforming Mexico Luis Rubio - America Economia
go to original December 17, 2016

Members of the Mexican political party Morena protesting (El Universal/ZUMA)

"Little civil wars" are proliferating in Mexico. Yet the simmering cauldron fomenting these conflicts could also prove transformative. It would depend on how the dynamics are managed and, more importantly, if anyone will be able and willing to take charge of this process of change.

These low-grade conflicts are being fought on many fronts. Some were introduced by the administration of President Enrique Peña Nieto. Others were inherited from the previous government. All have consequences for Mexico's peace and stability.

These so-called "little wars" reveal a weakness in government and the country's increasing propensity for disorder. The most absurd one is President Peña's personal initiative to legalize same-sex marriage. I have nothing against couples arranging their lives as they see fit. But clearly the president's proposal weakened him and his party, and above all, was absolutely unnecessary. It has prompted the Church to start a crusade against gay marriage. That’s not a positive step when we consider that the issue was previously dealt with the Mexican way — like much else, it was permitted in Mexico City!

Why change the status quo when it works? As the 19th century diplomat Talleyrand might have said — this was worse than a crime, it was a mistake. An enormous one.

The corrosive effect of corruption has spread across Mexico. State governors, lacking any decency, interpret electoral victories as a license to plunder and, if possible, start to progress make a bid for the presidency. This conflict will not let up until all parties agree what constitutes corruption and who must go to jail and at what cost.

The country has no shortage of inquisitors today who devote themselves to their own corrupt shenanigans or to witch-hunting, without the slightest regard for upholding justice or due process. Denouncing, attacking, naming and shaming are the order of the day, and it’s not about corruption but sending people into the fire.

Read the rest at Worldcrunch | Español

Related: Latin America’s Wide-Open Electoral Season (Council on Foreign Relations)

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