University of Southern California



Mexico and its Relations with the United States

IR 366, Fall 2019

Tuesdays & Thursdays, 5-6:20, VKC 152

University of Southern California

Dr. Pamela K. Starr

Office: STO 99 Phone: 213-740-4122

(STO = Stonier Hall, the brick building behind the bookstore)

Office Hours: TTh 2-4, and by appointment Email: pkstarr@usc.edu

Scope and Objectives

Few countries matter as much to one another as the United States and Mexico yet understand one another so weakly.

Mexico and the United States have grown increasingly reliant on one another over the past 25 years. The United States is Mexico’s largest export market and Mexico is the #2 market for U.S. exports. The U.S. buys more from Mexico than from the “BRIC” countries – Brazil, Russia, India, and China – combined. And what we trade, largely inputs for a cross-border manufacturing process, means that 40 cents of every dollar of goods the U.S. imports from Mexico is U.S. value-added, which translates into good jobs in the United States. Put differently, U.S.-Mexico trade promotes growth, creates jobs, and enhances global economic competitiveness in both countries.

Beyond trade and competitiveness are the headline-grabbing bi-national challenges of migration and organized crime. Each country is also pivotal to the other’s well-being in ways citizens rarely see, such as protecting public health and providing environmental protection. Our futures are bound together.

But each country approaches this relationship from very different perspectives born of different historical experiences, political and economic structures, and perceptions of the other. As a consequence, the bilateral relationship has long been characterized by misunderstandings, tensions, and dashed hopes instead of the effective communication, understanding, and collaboration needed to resolve common challenges. The current tensions between Mexico and the United States are the latest example of this historic trend.

The purpose of this course is four-fold: 1) To help students understand Mexico better and become familiar with the history of U.S.-Mexico relations and 2) to illuminate the international and domestic drivers of this peculiar bilateral relationship. Students will then 3) use this understanding of history and drivers to analyze current challenges in the bilateral relationship. Finally, students will 4) consider the likely future for these two North American neighbors.

The content of the course is divided into four sections. The first contains a set of introductory sessions that introduce students to Mexico and its relationship with the United States, and to the theories of foreign policy we will use throughout the course. The next section looks at history to illuminate Mexico’s distinct national experience (economic, political, and international) and how this has shaped modern Mexico and its relationship with the United States. The third section builds on the first two by focusing on the central issues in U.S.-Mexico relations (trade and competitiveness, including the NAFTA renegotiation, migration, security, and the border) to understand how we arrived to our current situation and to consider policies that might improve bilateral cooperation to address our shared policy agenda. The final three class sessions will look the current bilateral relationship in wake of Mexico’s July 1, 2018 presidential election and the November 6, 2018 U.S. midterm elections.

Throughout the course, students will develop research and writing skills. Beyond learning about Mexico and its relationship with the United States, students will develop the analytic tools needed to understand foreign policy of the United States and its global partners. In the process, students will hone their writing skills by writing a term paper on U.S.-Mexico relations.

Requirements

"Eighty percent of success is showing up". --Woody Allen

The learning in this course relies heavily on class participation. This will make it difficult for you to perform well in the course without good attendance. I therefore strongly encourage you to heed Woody Allen's words of wisdom.

The course readings average about 100 pages a week, but a few sessions carry a slightly lighter load and a few a slightly heavier one. Students should thus plan ahead. The readings include both texts which present history without much analysis and analytic pieces which present a strong argument. Students will be expected to have completed the assigned readings BEFORE the class session for which they are assigned, and must be prepared to discuss the readings during class. The instructor will provide questions to guide reading which should help students identify the essential data and arguments in the assigned readings. It is highly recommended that students outline the answers to these questions based on the information contained in the assigned readings and bring this to class.

There will also be regular quizzes that, together with participation in class discussion, will determine each student’s class participation grade.

The course also includes mid-term and final examination, and a term paper. Each examination will consist of three sections, identifications, short-answer essays on the assigned readings, and a long essay designed to integrate all the course materials. Both examinations will be open book and taken on-line. They will thus emphasize analysis – the how and why questions.

The term paper will be a study of a historical incident or a current policy challenge in U.S.-Mexico relations. It must describe the issue at stake and its status, clearly present the U.S. and Mexican perspectives on the issue and explain why and how they differ, and consider how the issue was resolved or is apt to play out in the current context. ALL term paper topics MUST be approved by the instructor NO LATER THAN November 5. A three-page outline with footnotes and bibliography is due on November 26. The final paper is due on December 17 and must be 2800-3000 words long (the equivalent of about 10-12 pages).

Grading

First Mid-Term (October 15) 25%

Term Paper Outline (Due November 19) 10%

Term Paper (Due December 7) 20%

Final Examination (December 12) 35%

Class Participation 10%

Books Recommended for Purchase

Roderic Ai Camp, Mexico: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford, 2011.

Peter H. Smith and Andrew Selee, eds., Mexico and the United States: The Politics of Partnership, Boulder, Lynne Rienner, 2013.

Andrew Selee, Vanishing Frontiers, New York: Public Affairs, 2018.

Stephen Haber, et al., Mexico Since 1980, New York, Cambridge University Press, 2008.

Teaching International Relations Program (TIRP)

Students who participate in the TIRP program will receive extra credit amounting to an additional 3.5 percent of their final grade (e.g. a B+ becomes an A-). A representative of TIRP will visit class during the first weeks of the semester to provide information on the program and how to sign up.

Late Assignments

All deadlines in this class are firm, and will be strict penalties for lateness. Assignments will be downgraded 1/3 of a grade if they are more than 5 minutes late; another 1/3 of a grade if they are not received by midnight, and another 1/3 of a grade if they are not in the client’s (the instructor’s) inbox by 8am the next day. They will then be graded down 1/3 of a grade for every additional day they are late.

Written Assignments

Effective writing is essential. As you write, keep in mind that it does not matter how good your research and analysis might be if the resulting argument is not communicated clearly and succinctly. If the professor cannot easily understand your conclusions they are effectively absent. I thus highly encourage you to carefully edit your work before you send it to the me. The instructor will provide each student a short handout with basic rules for good writing. I also strongly encourage you to read George Orwell’s essay “Politics and the English Language” (found in the content section of the blackboard page for this course) and carefully follow Orwell’s recommendations for clear writing. You may also wish to visit the USC writing center for assistance with your written exposition.

Statement on Academic Conduct and Support Systems

Academic Conduct Plagiarism – presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words – is a serious academic offense with serious consequences. Please familiarize yourself with the discussion of plagiarism in SCampus in Section 11, Behavior Violating University Standards violating-university-standards-and-appropriate-sanctions/. Other forms of academic dishonesty are equally unacceptable. See additional information in SCampus and university policies on scientific misconduct, .

Discrimination, sexual assault, and harassment are not tolerated by the university. You are encouraged to report any incidents to the Office of Equity and Diversity or to the Department of Public Safety . This is important for the safety whole USC community. Another member of the university community – such as a friend, classmate, advisor, or faculty member – can help initiate the report, or can initiate the report on behalf of another person. The Center for Women and Men provides 24/7 confidential support, and the sexual assault resource center webpage sarc@usc.edu describes reporting options and other resources.

Support Systems: A number of USC’s schools provide support for students who need help with scholarly writing. Check with your advisor or program staff to find out more. Students whose primary language is not English should check with the American Language Institute , which sponsors courses and workshops specifically for international graduate students. The Office of Disability Services and Programs provides certification for students with disabilities and helps arrange the relevant accommodations. If an officially declared emergency makes travel to campus infeasible, USC Emergency Information will provide safety and other updates, including ways in which instruction will be continued by means of blackboard, teleconferencing, and other technology.

Schedule of Topics and Readings

Part I: Introduction to Mexico and U.S.-Mexico Relations

August 27: Introductions and Course Presentation

August 29: Introduction to Mexico: Inheritances from the Past

Roderic Ai Camp, Mexico: What Everyone Needs to Know, Oxford University Press, 2011. Chapter 6, “Mexico’s Colonial Heritage”.

Octavio Paz, “Mexico and the United States”, in The Labyrinth of Solitude and Other Writings, Grove Press, 1991 (first published 1979). (Bb)

September 3: Introduction to U.S.-Mexico Relations

Jorge I. Dominguez and Rafael Fernandez de Castro. The United States and Mexico: Between Partnership and Conflict, Routledge, 2001, pp. 7-15. (Bb)

Jeffrey Davidow, The U.S. and Mexico: The Bear and the Porcupine, prologue, introduction, and chapter 2. (Bb)

Peter H. Smith and Andrew Selee, “Challenges of Partnership,” in Peter H. Smith and Andrew Selee, eds., Mexico and the United States: The Politics of Partnership, Boulder, Lynne Rienner, 2013, pp. 1-12.

Andrew Selee, Vanishing Frontiers, “Introduction”, pp. 1-26.

September 5: Thinking Analytically about Foreign Policy

Brian Schmidt, "Theories of U.S. Foreign Policy," in Michael Cox and Doug Stokes, eds., U.S. Foreign Policy (Oxford University Press, 2008), Chapter 1. (Bb)

Jack Snyder, “One World, Rival Theories”, Foreign Policy (Nov/Dec 2004): 52-62. (Bb)

September 10: Thinking Analytically about U.S.-Mexico Relations

Lorenzo Meyer, “Mexico and the United States: The Historical Structure of their Conflict” Journal of International Affairs, 43:2 (Winter 1990): 251-271. (Bb)

Alan Knight, “Dealing with the American Political System: An Historical Overview 1910-1995”, in Rodolfo de la Garza and Jesus Velasco, eds., Bridging the Border, Roman & Littlefield, 1997: 1-31. (Bb)

Dominguez and Fernandez de Castro, The United States and Mexico, chapter 5, pp. 75-104. (Bb)

Part II: The History of Mexican Development and U.S.-Mexico Relations

September 12: The 19th Century: The U.S.-Mexico War

Camp, chapter 7, pp. 70-80.

Josefina Zoraida Vazquez, “The Most Difficult Decades”, in Josefina Zoraida Vazquez and Lorenzo Meyer, The United States and Mexico, University of Chicago Press, 1985: chapter 3 (pp. 25-50). (Bb)

Timothy J. Henderson, A Glorious Defeat: Mexico and its War with the United States, Hill and Wang, 2007: pp. xvii-xxi & 179-191. (Bb)

September 17: The 19th Century: From War and Stagnation to Stability and Growth

Octavio Paz, “Independence to Revolution” (1st section only), in The Labyrinth of Solitude and Other Writings, Grove Press, 1991, pp. 117-128. (Bb)

John Coatsworth, "Obstacles to Economic Growth in Nineteenth-Century Mexico", in Jeffry Frieden, Manuel Pastor Jr., and Michael Tomz, eds. Modern Political Economy and Latin America: Theory and Policy. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2000: 95-121. (Bb)

Stephen Haber, “The Commitment Problem and Mexican Economic History”. In Jeffrey L. Bortz and Stephen Haber, eds., The Mexican Economy 1870-1930, Stanford University Press, 2002: 324-336. (Bb)

September 19: The Mexican Revolution and U.S.-Mexico Relations I

Camp, Chapter 8 (part 1), 81-95.

Octavio Paz, “Independence to Revolution” (2nd section only), in The Labyrinth of Solitude and Other Writings, Grove Press, 1991, pp. 129-149. (Bb)

Recommended:

The Storm that Swept Mexico.

This 2-hour PBS documentary provides an outstanding explanation of the events leading up to the Revolution, its development, and its repercussions for Mexico. You can skip the last 25 minutes that begins with World War II.

September 24: The Mexican Revolution and U.S.-Mexico Relations II

Lorenzo Meyer, “The Civil War and American Intervention” and “Revolutionary Nationalism and Imperialism” in Josefina Zoraida Vazquez and Lorenzo Meyer, The United States and Mexico, University of Chicago Press, 1985: chapters 7-8 (pp. 103-152). (Bb)

Josephus Daniels, “The Oil Expropriation” in Joseph and Henderson, eds., The Mexico Reader, Duke University Press, 2002: 452-455. (Bb)

September 26: The Mexican Revolution and U.S.-Mexico Relations III

Cole Blasier, The Hovering Giant: U.S. Responses to Revolutionary Change in Latin America, University of Pittsburgh Press,1985, pp. 15-20, 24-26, 30-32 (chapter 2); 33-45, 64-68 (chapter 3); 71-86, 93-100 (chapter 4); and 101-128 (chapter 5). (Bb)

October 1 : The PRI System I

Camp, chapter 8 (part 2), pp 95-121.

October 3: The PRI System II

Stephen Haber, et al., Mexico Since 1980, New York, Cambridge University Press, 2008: pp. 1-54.

October 8: The PRI System III

Pamela K. Starr, “Mexican Foreign Policy”, in Laura Randall, ed. The Changing Structure of Mexico, 2005: 49-57. (Bb)

October 10: Preparing for the Transition: Mexico and U.S.-Mexico Relations in the 1980s

Reading to be assigned.

October 15: Mid-Term Examination

October 17: Winter Break. No Class.

October 22-24: Mexico’s Economic Transformation

Haber, et al., pp. 54-77.

October 29: Mexico’s Foreign Policy Transformation

Recall Starr, “Mexican Foreign Policy” from September 28 class.

Jorge I. Dominguez and Rafael Fernandez de Castro, The United States and Mexico, introduction and chapters 2 & 6. (Bb)

Pamela K. Starr, “U.S.-Mexico Relations and Mexican Domestic Politics”, Oxford Handbook on Mexican Politics (2012): 649-670. (Bb)

October 31: Mexico’s Political Transformation

Camp, Chapters 3 & 9, pp. 33-42 & 122-140.

Haber, et al., chapter 5 (pp. 123-160).

Camp, Chapter 10, pp. 143-162.

Andrew Selee and Jacqueline Peschard, “Mexico’s Democratic Challenges”, in Andrew Selee and Jacqueline Peschard, eds., Mexico’s Democratic Challenges: Politics, Government, and Society, Stanford University Press, 2010: 1-26. (Bb)

Part III: Issues in U.S.-Mexico Relations

November 5: Economy-Reforming the Reforms

Haber, et al., pp 77-94.

Camp, chapters 2 & 5, pp.18-32 & 53-57.

Robert A. Blecker and Gerardo Esquivel, “Trade and the Development Gap”, in Peter H. Smith and Andrew Selee, eds., Mexico and the United States: The Politics of Partnership, chapter 5, pp. 83-110.

Christopher Wilson, “A new administration confronts a changing world: Mexico’s economic competitiveness strategy at a geopolitical inflection point”, Brookings Institution, May 2019. (download and read the full report).

November 7: Economy-Deepening Interdependence (readings to be added as events require)

Andrew Selee, Vanishing Frontiers, chapters 2 & 5, pp. 49-67 & 113-132.

James McBride and Mohammed Aly Sergie, “NAFTA’s Economic Impact”, Council on Foreign Relations Backgrounder.

Luis Rubio, “Why NAFTA is Critical for Mexico, Americas Quarterly, 15 April 2019.



Luis de la Calle and Arturo Sarukhan, “Democrats should seize the day with North American agreement”, Brookings Institution, 22 May 2019. ?

Matthew Townsend and Eric Martin, “U.S. and China got into a Trade War and Mexico Won”, Bloomberg, 27 March 2019. ?

November 12-14: Migration -History and Drivers

Andrew Selee, Vanishing Frontiers, chapters 8 & 9, pp.183-222.

Portes, Alejandro and Rubén G. Rumbaut, “Who they are and why they come”, chapter 2 of Immigrant America: A Portrait, 3rd ed., University of California Press, 2006. (Bb)

David FitzGerald and Rafael Alarcon, “Migration: Policies and Politics”, in Smith and Selee, eds., Mexico and the United States: The Politics of Partnership, chapter 6, pp. 111-138.

Ronald Reagan’s Farewell Address, 11 January 1989. Watch from time stamp 18:37 to the end.

November 14: Migration-The Current Challenge (readings to be added as events require)

Donald J. Trump, Arizona Immigration Speech, 31 August 2017. OR watch the video:

“Why the migrant crisis is happening now”, Axios, 8 July 2019. ?

Max Fisher and Amanda Taub, “Trump’s Immigration Approach Isn’t New: Europe and Australia Went First”, New York Times, 18 July 2019.

Andrew Selee, “Mexico’s Migration Dilemmas: The Border Crisis South of the Border”, Foreign Affairs, 8 July 2019. (Bb)

Seven former U.S. Ambassadors, “Tariffs would cripple Mexico’s ability to deal with migration, former US ambassadors say, CNBC, 5 June 2019.

November 19: Security and Drugs – The Problem

(term paper outline due)

Camp, chapter 1, pp. 3-17

Luis Astorga and David Shirk, “Drugs, Crime and Violence”, in Smith and Selee, eds., Mexico and the United States: The Politics of Partnership, chapter 8, pp. 161-190.

Steven Dudley, “The End of the Big Cartels – Why there Won’t Be Another Chapo”, InSight Crime, 18 March 2019.

November 21: Security and Drugs – Searching for Solutions

Andrew Selee, Vanishing Frontiers, chapter 6, pp.133-152.

Diana Villiers Negroponte, “The Merida Initiative” in Diana Villiers Negroponte, ed., The End of Nostalgia: Mexico Confronts the Challenges of Competitiveness, Washington, D.C., The Brookings Institution Press, 2013, pp. 152-169. (Bb)

Viridiana Rios, “Security Cooperation Between the United States and Mexico”, in Pamela K. Starr and Rafael Fernandez de Castro, eds., Reimagining U.S.-Mexico Relations: From Here to 2024, U.S.-Mexico Network, 2014. (Bb)

November 26: The Border

Recall the portions of the readings and class discussions from the class sessions on bilateral economic challenges, migration, and security that directly relate to the border.

Andrew Selee, Vanishing Frontiers, chapter 1 and part of chapter 2, pp. 27-48 & 67-72.

Paul Ganster and David E. Lorey, The U.S. Mexican Border into the 21st Century, 2nd ed., Rowman & Littlefield. READ: “Preface & Introduction”. (Bb)

Dominguez and Fernandez de Castro, The United States and Mexico, chapter 7, pp. 135-148. (Bb)

Guillermo Gomez Pena, “The New World Border”, in Gilbert M. Joseph & Timothy J. Henderson, eds. The Mexico Reader, Duke University Press, 2002:750-755. (Bb)

November 28: No Class. Thanksgiving

Part IV: The Current Bilateral Relationship

December 3: U.S.-Mexico Relations under Trump and Lopez Obrador (readings to be added as events require)

Daniel Lansberg-Rodriguez, “Mexico’s New Boss Is Same as the Old Bosses”, Foreign Policy, July 5, 2018.

Pamela K. Starr, “A President of Paradox for Mexico”, New York Times, July 2, 2018.

Andrew Selee, “Lopez Obrador is a Pragmatist, Not an Ideologue”, Foreign Policy, July 3, 2018.

Denise Dresser, “Mexico’s New President Turns back the Clock on Democracy” Foreign Affairs, May 13, 2019. (Bb)

Fareed Zakaria, “Trump is destroying three decades of hard work with Mexico”, Washington Post, 6 June 2019.

December 6: Looking to the Future (readings to be added as events require)

(Recall Alan Knight’s framework for analyzing U.S.-Mexico relations)

Smith and Selee, eds., Mexico and the United States: The Politics of Partnership:

Chapter 3 (Andrew Selee and Alberto Diaz-Cayeros, “The Dynamics of US-Mexican Relations)

Chapter 9 (Peter H. Smith and Andrew Selee, “Prospects for Partnership”).

Shannon K. O’Neil, “The Mexican Standoff: Trump and the Art of the Workaround” in Foreign Affairs, September/October 2017.

Andrew Selee, Vanishing Frontiers, chapter 12. Pp. 245-283.

December 12 (4:30-6:30pm): Final Exam

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