MEXICO: Why Mexico Fell Apart, and How to Fix It

Abstract: 

Denise Dresser outlines the transition from the delirium of the "Mexican Moment" to the disenchantment of the "Mexican Morass."

El Telepresidente (TelePresident), El Copetudo (The Pompadour), El Copetesaurio (The Pompadinosaur) — these are some of the nicknames given to Enrique Peña Nieto, a president with a 6-percent approval rating, the lowest level of acceptance in 20 years. These are the epithets with which he has been baptized after promising to “Move Mexico,” and he has indeed done so, but in the wrong direction. The country has moved from delirium to disenchantment. From blissful honeymoon to acrimonious divorce. Where we no longer speak of the “Mexican Moment,” but rather of the “Mexican Morass.” Where the Partido Revolucionario Institutional (PRI, Institutional Revolutionary Party) can still win elections, but with declining margins and worse perceptions. An era of political regression and social resistance in the face of its implications.

Author: 
Denise Dresser
Publication date: 
January 10, 2017
Publication type: 
Berkeley Review of Latin American Studies Article