Axar.az presents an article “To Mexico, With Love” by John Samuel Tieman.

Years ago, I was teaching US history at a university. We came to the Mexican-American War. I used to live in Mexico City. I thought it an opportunity for an intercultural moment. On my PowerPoint, I took that moment to show students what I think when I recall Mexico. I showed them one of the schools I taught in. They had plenty of questions. “Hold on. Your old school has an Olympic-sized pool?” I showed them the photo of a former student, now a friend, Alejandra. “Wait. She's blond? She's an international lawyer? She speaks French, English AND Spanish? And she's an equestrian?” Right. Yes. With Alejandra, it's more like Mercedes-Benz and Vera Wang than burros and sombreros. I hasten to add that my university students were typical middle-class Americans. Meaning that their vision of Mexico is static, stereotypical. Many Mexicans experience this as humiliating.

Donald Trump has made it clear that, during his second term, he will continue with his “America First” policies. Mexico is a major target. First, he wants to deport millions of migrants. Second, he wants to increase tariffs. Third, he has indicated that he would use our military against narco-traffickers – on Mexican soil. The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, has made it clear that she will counter these policies. She is not without considerable resources. That said, what Mr. Trump is using is not the politics of dialogue and negotiation. Mr. Trump is using the politics of humiliation and intimidation. He could use the politics of respect and persuasion.

Mr. Trump recently announced that he will implement 25% tariffs on all imports from Mexico. Let us consider first that Mexico is our largest trading partner. We imported $900 billion worth of goods in 2023. 17 million American jobs that rely on that trade. The implications of such a tariff are vast and staggering. Consider this. General Motors de México has four manufacturing complexes, corporate offices, a regional engineering and customer service center. Now consider Coca-Cola, Honeywell, Procter And Gamble, Ford Motors, all of whom have considerable investments located in Mexico. When I lived in Mexico City, I first learned about Hewlett-Packard when I passed their office building on a boulevard named Reforma. Then there is this simple fact. Mexico does not do business in isolation. Mexico is sort of the Switzerland of the Americas. It has diplomatic ties, and does business, with everyone and anyone. China, for example. And Japan. South America. The European Union. Everyone. Mexico is not without options.

But about that border. Many folks think of a border as this fixed line. But that vision is very narrow. The border between Mexico and the US isn't so much a demarcation as a blending. Relations are complex and often at odds, true. And sometimes relations with Mexico are your in-laws. About 1.6 million Americans live in Mexico. About 30% of those expats are retirees. Mexico is the top destination for American tourists.

My point is simply this. Mexico and the United States, we're neighbors. Indeed, we will never not be neighbors. You can think of a border as that which divides us. Or you can think of a border as a place where peoples meet. It follows that you can think of international relations as transactional or relational.

Mexico is an ancient civilization. The area that is today Mexico City has been occupied since 9,500 BC. The Aztecs moved into the Valley Of Mexico about 1325 AD. The oldest university in Mexico is the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the UNAM, which traces its roots to 1551. That's before Shakespeare was born. I could go on and on with a list of poets, painters, Nobel Prize winners. My point being that Mexico shouldn't be treated with respect just because it's diplomatically nice to be nice. Mexico deserves our respect.

One last point. Thomas Merton. “In this era, it is no longer necessary to parody. It is sufficient to simply quote.” One of my favorite Thomas Merton quotes. Therefore, in his honor – “We’re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring. That covers a lot of territory, the Gulf of America. What a beautiful name. And it’s appropriate,” Donald Trump said.