ArcaMax

Mexico Welcomes First Female President. But How Much Has Really Changed?

SAN DIEGO -- Is what's happening in Mexico a miracle? Or a mirage?

Now and then, I like to perform a wellness check on the old country. I go through the ritual to honor the memory of my grandfather, Roman -- who came with his family to the United States as a boy during the Mexican Revolution with about 600,000 compatriots. All those people came legally because the revolution ended in 1920, and -- with the exception of the Chinese -- migrants couldn't come to the United States illegally until after the Immigration Act of 1924.

The United States can't learn from its mistakes. Worse, it doesn't even want to remember them. Whether it is enslaving Africans, turning away Jewish refugees during World War II or taking half of Mexico's territory in a mid-19th century land grab, Americans like to think they have clean hands. In some states, Republican lawmakers are banning critical race theory and other curriculum that details past sins.

By contrast, Mexico is the land that doesn't forget. It often seems mired in its own history, which has been at times tragic and sad. It's a country constantly at war with itself -- with Mexicans squaring off with one another over color, class, political affiliation, etc.

Now Mexico is making history with a new chapter. On Oct. 1, Claudia Sheinbaum -- a 61-year-old environmental engineer and climate scientist with a Ph.D. who served as mayor of Mexico City -- shattered the glass ceiling when she was sworn in as the first presidenta.

Representing the popular Morena party -- which champions the poor and pokes at the elites, and which, along with its allies, holds comfortable majorities in Congress and controls three-quarters of state legislatures -- she won nearly 60% of the vote in the June election.

Besides becoming the first woman to lead a country that still gets bogged down by machismo, Sheinbaum -- a fluent English speaker who has lived in the United States -- is now also the first Jewish president of a country that has always been largely Catholic.

Then there is the AMLO factor. One of the things that helped put Sheinbaum in the presidency is her longstanding alliance with the outgoing populist Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. The new president is a protege of the former one, and many observers expect that Sheinbaum will follow AMLO's lead on many issues.

This includes what is perhaps the most difficult challenge facing any Mexican president: how to handle powerful cartels and criminal syndicates in such a way that you don't get handled by them. AMLO's approach had been "hugs not bullets," a program that offered government aid and social programs with the intent of uplifting the working class so as to make cartels less attractive to young recruits. That dubious initiative -- which experts insist has done nothing to curb drug violence and shrink the influence of the cartels -- could be around a while, given that Sheinbaum has vowed that her administration won't be going to war with the cartels.

In other policy areas, however, there could be some daylight between Sheinbaum and her mentor. At the top of that list is energy policy, which matters a great deal south of the border. AMLO doubled down on fossil fuels and -- in the name of promoting nationalism -- tightened Mexico's grip on its oil industry. But Sheinbaum has spent a career studying climate science, and she believes in promoting cleaner forms of renewable energy. Expect a parting of the ways.

The trouble is that AMLO is not someone that you divorce easily. Incredibly, he left office after a six-year term as required by the Mexican Constitution with an approval rating of more than 70%. Recently, at a rally outside the president's mansion, thousands of supporters gathered to pay their respects. Some chanted, "No te vayas" (don't go). This is not a typical send-off for Mexican presidents.

Last but not least, Sheinbaum will have to manage the U.S.-Mexico relationship, which could stand improvement. Americans look south and think of migrants and drugs, both of which they insist they don't want but can't live without. Mexicans look north and think of oil and trade, both of which they pretend to be protective of but are eager to export to their neighbor at the right price.

It's a new day in Mexico. That's what they say. Just how "new" remains to be seen.

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To find out more about Ruben Navarrette and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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