Andrés Manuel López Obrador: Biden avoids controversial issues in contact with the President of Mexico

Andrés Manuel López Obrador: Biden avoids controversial issues in contact with the President of Mexico

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It is a sign that Biden is looking to restart his relationship with the Mexican leader who has developed a close personal relationship with former President Donald Trump, sources told CNN about the content of the call.

In the months following Biden’s election victory, López Obrador – known in Mexico as AMLO – challenged his new counterpart by talking about his bond with Trump and making controversial political decisions related to security. It will take a great deal of personal commitment from both parties to put Biden López Obrador’s relationship on a positive basis, explaining the people who follow the relationship closely.

“I think the government, and particularly President Biden, believes in letting the past pass. It wants to build a constructive relationship going forward,” said former Mexican ambassador to the United States Arturo Sarukhan, reflecting on the friendly initial call he avoided the most controversial issues. “But, as with most things in life, it is said that you need two to dance the tango, or two for salsa in this case. And the question is whether López Obrador will want to work with his American counterpart.”

López Obrador was one of the last world leaders to congratulate Biden on his victory, and when they finally spoke during the transition period, the Mexican president bluntly reiterated to Biden that he had developed a positive relationship with Trump, according to sources informed on the conference call.

In contrast, readings from last week’s phone call seemed mild and friendly. It was Biden’s second call with a world leader, after his conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The White House said the two leaders have largely focused on migration – agreeing to “work closely” to curb irregular immigration – and on coordination to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It is a sign that the relationship may start to move in the right relationship with that phone call. It is a vital relationship for both countries and it is important for the relationship to stabilize,” said Bill Richardson, former governor of New Mexico.

But there is more than rhetoric to fix. Substance and style are also expected to be obstacles.

López Obrador took steps that strengthened relations with the United States before Biden became president.

In January, López Obrador said unexpectedly that his country planned to offer political asylum to Julian Assange. He also welcomed the British court’s decision rejecting a US request to extradite WikiLeaks founder to the US, “because he is a journalist and deserves a chance.”

‘Shooting over the bow’

In December, López Obrador signed a security law that restricts the presence of American drug agents in the country. It was clearly retaliation for the fact that the United States arrested former Mexican Defense Secretary Salvador Cienfuegos in Los Angeles in October and accused of being linked to drug trafficking. After this arrest, he was handed over to the Mexican authorities and, on his return to the country, the charges were dropped. It was also a decision that could impede US-Mexico security relations.

“It was a target shot,” said Sarukhan, adding that AMLO also recently said that he is considering taking action against the United States for allegedly fabricating information in the Cienfuegos investigation. “Now, are you trying to use this as a point of negotiation with the next Biden government, or do you just not understand how the relationship works? That’s the question I haven’t been able to answer. Like so many things in life, it can be a combination of both. “

Fortunately, Biden starts foreign diplomacy with the phone

The security aspects of the relationship and the future of Trump’s border wall did not emerge in the initial conversation between the two, according to readers and sources familiar with the call, who added that it is unclear when the most difficult issues will be addressed. But everyone agrees that these problems cannot be avoided.

“The general concern is that the incredibly necessary and strategic relationship of intelligence, security and law enforcement between the two countries needs to be on a secure basis,” said Sarukhan. “I think the government needs to send this message clearly, that after 9/11 it is not just about drugs, it is much more in terms of common security on a large scale.”

Immigration is an area where the two leaders must work together. Due to the devastating number that the coronavirus pandemic has hit in Latin America, thousands of immigrants are moving to the border with the United States. López Obrador said he is following events closely as a caravan of migrants heads to the United States from Central America.

But getting the two leaders to synchronize issues across the board can be challenging.

Biden, who is known for establishing close personal relationships with world leaders, will be tasked with developing a personal bond with López Obrador, whose leadership style does not reflect his.

Schmoozing will be needed

“You build the relationship because it is very important. Biden is a very good personal politician, as is López Obrador. They are good conversationalists, ”said Richardson, who also added“ there will be differences ”.

The two leaders do not share the same style of bombastic and transactional government, and López Obrador is a populist who has built a political brand in his own cult of personality, leading him to relate to Trump.

Last fall, when he visited DC, López Obrador praised Trump for his “understanding and respect” despite Trump’s story of ridiculing Mexicans and trying to use coercive measures, including threatening tariffs and closing the border against the López Obrador government.
López Obrador has more pressing problems, however, after announcing on Sunday that he had tested positive for Covid-19.

And even the pandemic is an area where the two leaders will face the challenge of agreeing. The two leaders took a contrasting approach to the crisis that is devastating both nations. Biden was very clear about the need to wear masks and maintain social distance, while López Obrador despised the virus and traveled throughout the country during the pandemic, often without wearing a mask.

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