Donald Trump applied pressure on Mexico by spotlighting the DEA to extract more security benefits from the bilateral relationship. Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum presented relations as respectful and non-subordinate, then denied reestablishment of DEA ties after prior cooling and hostility under Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The dispute centers on Project Portero, presented by the DEA as training Mexican agents in U.S. police schools to dismantle organized crime along the western border. Sheinbaum characterized the program as a small Texas workshop for four investigators. Experts describe Trump's tactic as pressure-and-release and note Mexico can leverage U.S. willingness to target criminal networks to reform internal security.
Donald Trump's art of negotiation relies heavily on the art of pushing his counterparts Mexico in this case to the limit. Just when, according to President Claudia Sheinbaum, it seemed that the relationship between the two nations was based on respect among equals and non-subordination, Trump launched a new challenge this week to pressure Mexico and extract even more security benefits from Washington's main trading partner.
The U.S. president's main focus has been the DEA, which Mexico considers one of its greatest political enemies, given the agency's history of interventionism on Mexican soil. Trump's latest provocation comes at a time when both countries are preparing a general agreement on bilateral security. Experts agree that the Republican is following his usual pressure-and-release strategy, although they point out that Mexico can take advantage of Washington's willingness to crack down on criminal groups and clean house.
Collection
[
|
...
]