Over the summer, I had the opportunity to volunteer for a non-profit organization in California called CHIRLA (Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles). My involvement with this organization has opened my eyes to the reality of the current immigration problem between the United States and Mexico. So much disparity is evident along the border. On one side stands the United States- a hegemonic country that encompasses a stable economy, well-built infrastructures, and political clout. On the southern side of the border stands Mexico- a country that has suffered from the lack of development and years of economic crisis. How can two countries, separated by only a border, be so different in their political, social, and economical features? This question has ignited my interest in researching the relations between Mexico and the United States, as their close geographical relationship has significant implications on their economic, political, and social settings. Recent concerns about U.S.-Mexico relations have escalated, as the issue of illegal immigration has made its way to the priority list of both Mexican and American political leaders. Never before has the concern to end drug trafficking and to decrease the number of illegal immigrants seemed to have been so publicly scrutinized. The international community has also been giving more attention to violation of human rights in developing countries, specifically in the labor sector. Relations between the United States and its close neighbor, Mexico, will continue to exist and deeply impact both countries and their populations. Policy choices and economic decisions will be affected, as well as people's lives--creating a sensitive environment that may be vulnerable to conflict. However, it is undeniable that the United States needs Mexico as much as Mexico needs the United States. U.S.-Mexico relations will only continue to be affected by illegal immigration, human rights violations, and drug trafficking. The time is now to strengthen our relations with our neighbor in order to build a unified force against the dangers lurking on both sides of the border. The U.S.-Mexico border covers 2,000 miles, encompassing four American and six Mexican states. Over the years, the relationship between the two countries has become one of strong interdependence. My thesis will explore the deep connections between the economies and societies of the United States and Mexico. Regardless of the disagreements and challenges they encountered, the U.S. and Mexico indeed share a history. This history connects both nations, inevitably making one dependent on the other. The United States heavily relies on other countries for resources, especially from its neighboring country. However, the dependence of Mexico on the United States is much higher. The United States, being a world power, undoubtedly has an economic advantage over Mexico, a country that continues to suffer from domestic political and economic problems. My thesis will introduce the current political, social, and economical state of Mexico and how it is being affected by its relationship with the United States. My. argument is that even though Mexico continues to demonstrate cooperation at the border, problems with income inequality, illegal immigration, illegal drugs, and human rights violations will still remain a crucial setback in the relationship between United States and Mexico.

Le développement démocratique engendre-t-il un changement dans la politique étrangère du Mexique ?La politique étrangère « traditionnelle » mexicaine est réputée pour être passive, légaliste et nationaliste, telle la définie le Parti Révolutionnaire Institutionnel au début du XXème siècle, jusqu’à la fin des années 1990. Depuis cette date, la politique étrangère mexicaine est en pleine transition sous l’effet d’un nouvel ordre mondial et du processus de démocratisation interne.En 2000, l’élection du président Fox jouit d’une légitimité internationale qui lui permet de renouveler la politique extérieure en se focalisant sur la défense des droits de l’Homme et de la démocratie. Ce changement diplomatique marque une rupture politique avec le régime précédent.Par le biais de la révision du ALENA, il cherche d’une part, à approfondir l’intégration avec les États-Unis avec la négociation d’un accord migratoire, et d’autre part, à développer une activité multilatérale, en particulier au sein des forums de l’ONU. Cette politique vise à réduire la dépendance du Mexique vis-à-vis des États-Unis en intensifiant sa présence multilatérale. Cet objectif sera néanmoins fortement perturbé par des éléments internes, comme l’inertie bureaucratique, et externes, avec les attentats terroristes du 11 septembre.Cette recherche s’appuie sur la littérature politiste spécialisée sur la politique étrangère mexicaine.Elle critique les analyses qui s’attachent exclusivement à démontrer le manque d’habilité et les erreurs diplomatiques de l’administration Fox. La thèse soutient au contraire, que ces changement sont permis de mettre sur l’agenda politique des dossiers fondamentaux comme la politique migratoire, les droits de l’Homme et la coopération pour le développement. / Has Mexican foreign policy changed with the advent of the new democratic rule in Mexico?Traditional Mexican Foreign Policy, known as passive, reactive, legalistic, and nationalistic, was installed by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) from the start of the 20th century to the late90s. Since that date, Mexican foreign policy faces a double transformation dynamic: the external,with the establishment of a new world order; and the internal, with the Mexican democratization process.2000 elections, depicted as a transparent process, gave president Vicente Fox sufficient international legitimacy to modify foreign policy agenda, introducing the protection of human rights and democratic values. These changes produce a political rupture with the previous regimeand triggered a change in the foreign policy behaviour.The new foreign policy program includes a complementary strategy: first, widen the regional integration within the United States, by the revision of the NAFTA, with a negotiation of amigration agreement; second, deploying a strong multilateral activity (mainly United Nationsforums). This stratagem seeks to reduce Mexico’s U.S. dependence, by intensifying its multilateral presence. But, internal and external causalities, inertial bureaucratic practices and the effects of September 11 reversed this policy.This research is based on political literature specialized in Mexican foreign policy. It critically analyzes the classic approach that focus exclusively on the lack of diplomatic skill and blunders of Fox’s administration. This thesis argues instead that these changes have helped set the politicalagenda of fundamental issues as migration policy, human rights and development cooperation. / ¿Hubo cambio en la política exterior de México con la llegada de la democracia?La política exterior “tradicional” de México, conocida como pasiva, legalista y nacionalista,instalada a inicios del siglo XX por el Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) se enfrenta, en los años noventa, a un doble contexto de transición: el externo, ante la influencia de un nuevo orden mundial; y el interno, con el proceso de democratización. La elección del 2000, considerada un proceso electoral transparente y equitativo, le otorga algobierno de Fox una legitimidad internacional que le permite proponer una agenda de política exterior “nueva”, centrada en la protección de los derechos humanos y la democracia. Esto representa una ruptura política con respecto al régimen anterior y un signo de cambio en el comportamiento hacia el exterior.El nuevo programa de política exterior incluye una estrategia complementaria: primero, profundizar la integración con Estados Unidos, mediante la revisión del TLCAN, con la negociación de un acuerdo migratorio; y segundo, una actividad multilateral, particularmente en los foros de la ONU. Esta política busca reducir la dependencia de Estados Unidos, intensificando su presencia multilateral. Este objetivo es revertido a causa de factores tanto de causalidad interna como externa,como las inercias burocráticas y los efectos de los atentados del 11 de septiembre.Esta investigación se basa en la literatura especializada sobre la política exterior mexicana, y criticalos análisis enfocados exclusivamente en la falta de habilidad y los errores diplomáticos de la administración Fox. Esta tesis sostiene lo contrario, que estos cambios permitieron meter en la agenda política temas fundamentales como la política migratoria, los derechos humanos y la cooperación para el desarrollo.