Ricardo Pascoe Pierce
One hundred kilometers from the US border, in Bavispe, Sonora, President Claudia Sheinbaum declared that “Because we continue to fight for what the Mexican people have always fought for: social justice, sovereignty and Independence, democracy and freedom. That is the Fourth Transformation. “She recalled that” our neighbors “(referring to the United States)” took half of our territory in an invasion. “She then recalled the U.S. occupation of the port of Veracruz.” You know that they tried to invade us again in 1914. Venustiano Carranza opposed it,” explained the president, turned historian.
Before explaining the references to the US invasions of Mexico, she outlined the previous stages of transformation that the country has undergone. She referred to Independence, then to the Reformation, and concluded with a lesson on the Revolution. All these processes, she clarified, preceded the current change in Mexico, the Fourth Transformation, which she leads.
Obviously, the president encouraged at least the governor of Sonora, Alfonso Durazo. He responded with his patriotism at its highest, and he also applauded the inauguration of a highway that will allow travelers to bypass Agua Prieta and reach Nuevo Casas Grandes directly. In this context, Governor Durazo applauded President Sheinbaum and declared, “We tell you that you are not alone.” He recalled the US president’s threats that his army could enter Mexico to fight criminal groups. The nationalist and supportive Governor Durazo emphasized: “National unity is not a slogan today, it is a responsibility in the difficult times we are living in, a highly complex global geopolitical moment.”
The governor, carried away by the patriotic enthusiasm of the moment, lashed out at those who did not join in supporting the president in her heroic confrontation with the Empire. “They confuse criticism with an attempt to undermine the Mexican government in the face of external pressures. They do not realize that in doing so, they end up favoring interests outside the homeland and turning their backs on the nation.” At that moment, someone shouted, enraged: “Here we take up arms to defend her,” meaning the president, of course. The audience responded with an enthusiastic “You are not alone!”
At the same time, Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente defended the so-called “humanitarian aid” Mexico has provided to other countries amid controversy over the humanitarian oil aid Mexico has provided to Cuba in recent years. Before Morena legislators, the Foreign Minister was clear: “We do not accept that there should be no humanitarian aid when any country in the world needs it, and we will continue to provide it because it is the mechanism that allows us to keep the dialogue alive and send the message to the peoples who need it: Mexico will always do everything in its power to ensure that humanitarian aid arrives when it is needed.”
On the same day, the Mexican government expressed two strong ideas. On the one hand, its solidarity in accompanying those who require humanitarian support, whenever and wherever. On the other hand, an unmistakable message of Mexico’s absolute sovereignty and Independence in defending its decisions without interference from abroad, notably from the US government. A perfect day in the field of patriotic statements.
Until, on the same day, President Trump reported on what he had agreed with President Sheinbaum during their phone call. Trump said, “I asked Sheinbaum not to send any more oil to Cuba, and she agreed and complied with the agreement.” Indeed, Mexico has stopped sending crude oil to Cuba. The Mexican president’s dilemma was clear: if you want the USMCA, stop sending oil to Cuba. It’s up to you. And Mexico opted for the USMCA.
In private, Sheinbaum accepts Washington’s conditions, although in public, the president declares herself autonomous and asks for the support of Mexicans in her “sovereign cause.” In turn, the foreign minister disguises the agreement with Washington with empty rhetoric and extols Mexico’s non-existent Independence, which he does not exercise.
This rhetorical theater reveals the hypocrisy of Mexico’s sovereignty.
@rpascoep
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