The recent elections in the United States generated high expectations in public opinion, particularly from the Mexican side. Many voices predicted the triumph of Kamala Harris, assuming that currently, with Claudia Sheinbaum as president and having another woman as her counterpart, there could be better understanding between both governments, resulting in greater benefits for both nations.
Thinking that governments led by women are more efficient, more focused on human rights, with priority attention to vulnerable groups, greater respect for individual freedoms, as well as particular attention to grave issues is, in every sense, a myth. Women in politics have not proven to be better leaders, nor to perform more in line with the idealized vision indicating that women in power would have a different approach than the so-called macho patriarchate.
History shows us that the governments of Margaret Thatcher in England, Golda Meir in Israel, Indira Gandhi in India, or Angela Merkel in Germany, as well as in Latin America with Cristina Kirchner in Argentina or Michelle Bachelet in Chile, to mention just a few, have not been substantially different, nor less belligerent than governments led by men.
The national interest of the United States goes beyond electoral speeches and partisan positions. It is clear that Mexico, in its bilateral relationship with the United States, does not have it easy; however, the difficulties that Claudia Sheinbaum's government will face will not stem from the victory of the Republicans, but from the political project implemented by the second tier of the 4T, as well as the concrete actions taken regarding the crucial issues under Washington's scrutiny, including trade, migration, and security, particularly related to the activities of criminal groups operating in Mexican territory.
It is time to set aside election propaganda speeches, as well as statements about pausing the relationship, along with threats from both governments. It is also not the time to indicate possible reprisals against the U.S. government, as recently declared by Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard. Mexico urgently needs to establish state policies that safeguard national interests and solidify a strong relationship with our main trading partner, as the relationship, while characterized by significant interdependence, still maintains an asymmetry in which Mexico would be the most affected if it continues with an ideologized policy.
The author holds a PhD in International Relations, specializing in Global Affairs and International Politics. Reality shows that in politics, gender issues are subordinate to the priorities of power groups, regardless of whether they are led by women.
Another major myth in the Mexico-United States relationship is that with a democratic government, had Kamala Harris won, it would be more humanitarian on issues such as addressing migrants and undocumented populations in U.S. territory. It suffices to remember that democratic governments, like those of Bill Clinton or Barack Obama, have been the most severe in this regard, and there is no reason to believe that it would have been different with Kamala.
The truth is that Donald Trump's victory has generated a wave of opinions that anticipate a deterioration in the relationship likely to severely affect Mexico. Trump's threats regarding the possibility of increasing tariffs on Mexican products, particularly in the automotive sector, as well as his offensive against criminal groups and drug cartels operating in Mexican territory, were part of a very aggressive discourse toward Mexico, which was more an element of his electoral campaign than something we now see the significant results of with his resounding victory.
Donald Trump managed to reach the ears of a very important sector of voters who have been affected in their quality of life and income by the policies implemented during Joe Biden's administration, which was more focused on supporting Zelensky's military skirmishes in his war with Russia, as well as on Netanyahu in Israel. Democrats or Republicans directing U.S. policy are just two sides of the same coin that vary in form, but not in the substance of core issues. The author is a research professor at the School of Government and Social Sciences at Tecnológico de Monterrey.
