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 omparing belt
buckles and cowboy boots, George W. Bush and Mexican President Vicente
Fox will have just three
hours to lay the foundation for a new bilateral relationship when
they meet at Fox's ranch near San Cristobal, Mexico. That means
foregoing some of the "sunniness" of an official first meeting to
concentrate on substance.
Both presidents are eager to make the best of this opportunity.
U.S.-Mexican commerce under the North American Free Trade Agreement
has doubled from $81.5 billion in 1993 to $196.6 billion in 1999.
Mexico is now a major petroleum supplier. But it is still the largest
source of illegal immigrants and drugs entering the United States.
President Fox brings to the meeting a plan to enhance Mexico's relationship
with the United States and the hemisphere. President Bush arrives
with reassurances not to abandon Mexico to disinterest as President
Clinton did during the latter half of his administration. Both men
will have to go beyond these positions to address the shared opportunities
and challenges before them.
A good place to start is the most obvious link between the two countries,
the 2,000-mile southwest border. Trade and traffic has more than
doubled since NAFTA. According to the U.S. General Accounting Office,
poor coordination among U.S. agencies keeps entry points from being
fully staffed — contributing to traffic problems and air pollution.
Financing through the North American Development Bank has been slow
to improve sanitation and other public works. Planning between federal,
state, and local agencies has been inadequate to respond to the
rapidly growing border population. President Bush could remedy much
of this by simply requiring the federal bureacracy to do its job.
For his part, President Fox could pledge an improvement in
| “Fox
envisions the evolution of NAFTA into a European-style
common market that allows the free movement of goods and
labor.” |
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drug interdiction. Although cooperation on counter-narcotics has
increased, it still has a long way to go. Two thirds of the Colombian
cocaine reaching the United States still crosses the U.S.-Mexican
border. Further improvement could take some time, as Fox reforms
Mexico's courts and police. But the Bush Administration could provide
technical assistance an offer more likely to be welcomed by Fox's
government than the last.
On labor, President Bush could promise to work with the U.S. Congress
in reforming entry procedures for Mexico's migrant laborers. Although
U.S. employers continue to hire them, current policies make it difficult
for unskilled Mexican workers to cross legally and safely. Moreover,
it may be in America's interest to provide temporary work for some
of Mexico's underemployed while Fox's proposed educational and economic
reforms take root to boost employment levels.
Looking down the road 30 years, Fox envisions the evolution of NAFTA
into a European-style common market that allows the free movement
of goods and labor. An accelerated tariff reduction is already in
place, but free movement of labor will depend on whether Mexican
workers can achieve wage parity with their U.S. and Canadian counterparts.
As for a model, President Bush should encourage his colleague to
consider a free trade association instead of Europe's regimented
superstate. The European effort to create order out of a panoply
of cultures won't necessarily work in the Americas where innovation
and diversity are considered the source of prosperity.
Finally, the United States should welcome Fox's desire to advocate
democracy and human rights throughout the hemisphere. Fox's election
gives Mexico a moral platform that was previously missing. But Bush
should ask Fox to speak out also for free-trade agreements in Latin
America. The kind of prosperity Mexico has enjoyed in its relations
with the United States should be available to other neighbors as
well.
George Bush's willingness to look south opens the door to a new
era of U.S.-Mexico cooperation. Fox's election has shown the world
that Mexico is open to democracy and free markets. A bond between
the two will form a basis for close cooperation. But the desire
for an entirely pleasant relationship is not realistic. Positive
steps on thorny issues are the cornerstones of a firm foundation.
Progress there will provide an example for the rest of the hemisphere
of how we can best work together.
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