Michael Shifter discusses what Andres Manuel López Obrador’s landslide win in the 2018 Mexican elections could mean for Mexico and the Western hemisphere. López Obrador faces the challenge of transforming his populist campaign into a practical and effective government while also addressing record homicides rates, rampant corruption, and the nation’s gaping inequality and entrenched poverty.
En una breve discusión con Caracol Radio, Michael Shifter, presidente del Diálogo Interamericano, discutió acerca de la incertidumbre a partir de la elección de López Obrador como presidente de México, y los pasos que este tomará en relación a las dificultades específicas que atraviesa ese país actualmente.
In anticipation of Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s (AMLO) stunning electoral win, Inter-American Dialogue President Michael Shifter discusses the challenges that have defined this historic election and the immediate issues that López Obrador will have to address in office.
On May 11, the Inter-American Dialogue hosted an event titled “Anticipating the Mexican Elections”. This discussion, moderated by Michael Shifter, featured panelists Shannon O’Neil from the Council on Foreign Relations, Juan Pablo del Valle from Mexichem, and Enrique Bravo-Escobar from the National Endowment for Democracy.
Next year, critical elections in Latin America’s three most populous countries—Colombia, Mexico and Brazil—are likely to reveal a distemper stemming from citizen disgust with a mix of corruption scandals, mediocre economies, unremitting violence and a largely discredited political class. All three presidential contests are wide open and ripe for anti-establishment challengers.
Latin America faces many challenges in developing its energy resources and providing clean, affordable and reliable energy. With presidential elections in Brazil, Mexico and Colombia next year, there is considerable uncertainty about future energy policy, as potential candidates in these countries have presented widely varying energy and economic policy platforms.
During a visit to Pittsburgh, Michael Shifter spoke with KQV News Radio and the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh for their weekly World Affairs Report. In a conversation with Angélica Ocampo, Shifter discussed regional progress in Latin America, US foreign policy, the crisis in Venezuela and the upcoming elections in Brazil and Mexico.
In spite of a steady economic recovery, low inflation and improving fiscal balances, Latin America is seeing weak private investment in energy and other sectors.
Mexico’s energy reform has led to a remarkable boost in investment, and the expected increase in the country’s crude oil production will strengthen energy security not only for Mexico but also at the regional level.