Parallel Politics

This past week, Zach sat down with Dr. Edgar Avendaño Mejía—whom premium subscribers will recall seeing in the third episode of Better Futures, to which the less fortunate can listen here—to interview him about Mexican politics, focusing on the concept of “Mexican humanism” and its relation to neoliberal policies. In Edgar’s assessment, the new government continues old politics with a new disguise. As an example he offers the policies of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) as Regent of Mexico City, such as selling parts of downtown to Carlos Slim for improvement, which he describes (at ~2:44) as “a classic neoliberal politics […] Sell it to someone who wants to profit from it and yeah, automatically through [competition], it will be better.”The discussion then moves (at ~3:07) to President Claudia Sheinbaum, AMLO’s successor (whose election we covered in June), and her policies. Edgar notes that while she talks often about the importance of ecological sustainability, her main public works as Regent of Mexico City were car-focused—despite only 20% of Mexico City residents using cars. He mentions the collapse of a subway line in 2021, resulting in 26 deaths, which Sheinbaum rather deceitfully blamed on past administrations.Edgar also explains (at ~11:09) AMLO’s social programs during his presidency, including scholarships for students and pensions for the elderly. He notes that these programs contributed significantly to AMLO’s popularity—and presumably to that of his political party, Morena—especially in rural areas. Edgar, as a high school teacher, personally witnesses the positive impact of these scholarships on his students’ lives.Later on (at ~18:41), Zach raises the issue of potential U.S. military intervention against cartels in Mexico, and inquires about the potential that the U.S. and Mexican governments might collaborate on such a venture. Edgar expresses skepticism about this idea, stating that it would be difficult to implement due to the Mexican people’s skepticism towards foreign military presence and the strong nationalist, sovereignty-oriented discourse of both AMLO and Sheinbaum.Notably, Edgar speculates (at ~21:22) that Sheinbaum will continue AMLO’s policies with a more globalist approach. He mentions that Sheinbaum is more pro-environment than AMLO, and that she may be more in line with international sustainability norms.Finally, they discuss (at ~24:06) the possibility of Mexico joining BRICS+ during Sheinbaum’s administration. Though he describes his expertise in political analysis as limited, Edgar it hard to imagine Mexico making such a move given its geographical proximity to the U.S. and the constant pressure on Mexico from the U.S. government.While Sheinbaum’s presidency may tend toward globalism, we here at Radio Free Pizza nonetheless hope that her administration will continue implementing social programs that reduce poverty among the Mexican people, not allowing opportunities for economic advancement to go disproportionately to its urban population—regardless of whether such conflicts with international norms. Of course, we can only hope that this doesn’t mean reverting to a domestic neoliberalism under a friendlier name. Radio Free Pizza is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Radio Free Pizza at www.radiofreepizza.com/subscribe