United States and Mexico: Stalemate Over Differing Interests
January 27 2017 By Abiodun Giwa
Donald Trump and Enrique Nieto
January 26, 2017, will be remembered, when the altercation between Presidents Donald Trump of the United States and Enrique Nieto of Mexico, reached its climax.
President Trump said that if Mexico disagrees to pay for the wall proposed by his administration in the border with Mexico, the meeting between him and Nieto scheduled for next week be better called off.
Trump did not call off the meeting. He merely said that it better be called off, if Nieto will not agree to his proposals, according to news reports. Then, Nieto, who may had felt that the push from Trump had turned into a shove, decidedly called off the proposed meeting between him and Trump. And the face off turned into a stalemate.
Trump, who was at the Republican Party conference in Philadelphia, followed up with a verbal threat of possibility of imposing 20 percent import duty against Mexico's imports in the the U.S, and that proceeds from the import taxation on Mexico could be used to pay for the wall. He said that the import duty on Mexico imports is an option in the search for means to pay for the cost of the wall.
From the standpoint of Trump, there is a need to build the wall. Mexico has not ruled out a need to build the wall, but that the country will not pay for the cost of building the wall by the U.S. Refusal by Mexico to pay the cost of building the wall may be interpreted as against building the wall, since the wall does not serve the country's interests.
But Trump sees building the wall as serving the his country's interests. Here, the two countries interests differ. And it is commonly said that there is no permanent friends or enemies in politics, but only permanent interests. Therefore the flexing of muscles by both leaders, about who will pay for the wall, is seen by observers as possible to lead to the more powerful between the two countries squeezing the less power to submission, toward achieving and protecting its interests. On the other hand, the less powerful country will have a choice to do what it thinks fit as serving its interests.
News reports said that Nieto is unpopular at home and that the only issue that has united Mexicans, who are at odds with their own president is their disagreement with Trump over building a wall between the U.S and Mexico. Meaning that Nieto could use the face off with Trump over the wall imbroglio, to stand tall again at home, temporarily.
Because, the more observers try to distance themselves from Trump's accusation that the open border between the U.S and Mexico has been serving as a source of entry for dangerous criminals into the U.S from Mexico, Trump's supporters point to the case of El Chapo, currently in the U.S for many crimes committed in the U.S., as a perfect example of dangerous Mexican criminals in the U.S.
Of course, despite the face off between the two leaders, the Los Angeles Times reported on Friday that Trump still made a phone call to Nieto on Friday morning, amid his busy schedule of receiving Theresa May, the British Prime Minister.
Trump is quoted as saying that himself and Nieto had a very good call," Trump reportedly told the media that he has been very strong on Mexico, but said that Mexico has out-negotiated the U.S. and beat the U.S. to a pulp and vows that the two countries will be to be working on a fair relationship and the United States cannot continue to lose vast amounts of business. Showing that he has much more than the wall issue to resolve in the U.S. relationship with Mexico.
President Trump said that if Mexico disagrees to pay for the wall proposed by his administration in the border with Mexico, the meeting between him and Nieto scheduled for next week be better called off.
Trump did not call off the meeting. He merely said that it better be called off, if Nieto will not agree to his proposals, according to news reports. Then, Nieto, who may had felt that the push from Trump had turned into a shove, decidedly called off the proposed meeting between him and Trump. And the face off turned into a stalemate.
Trump, who was at the Republican Party conference in Philadelphia, followed up with a verbal threat of possibility of imposing 20 percent import duty against Mexico's imports in the the U.S, and that proceeds from the import taxation on Mexico could be used to pay for the wall. He said that the import duty on Mexico imports is an option in the search for means to pay for the cost of the wall.
From the standpoint of Trump, there is a need to build the wall. Mexico has not ruled out a need to build the wall, but that the country will not pay for the cost of building the wall by the U.S. Refusal by Mexico to pay the cost of building the wall may be interpreted as against building the wall, since the wall does not serve the country's interests.
But Trump sees building the wall as serving the his country's interests. Here, the two countries interests differ. And it is commonly said that there is no permanent friends or enemies in politics, but only permanent interests. Therefore the flexing of muscles by both leaders, about who will pay for the wall, is seen by observers as possible to lead to the more powerful between the two countries squeezing the less power to submission, toward achieving and protecting its interests. On the other hand, the less powerful country will have a choice to do what it thinks fit as serving its interests.
News reports said that Nieto is unpopular at home and that the only issue that has united Mexicans, who are at odds with their own president is their disagreement with Trump over building a wall between the U.S and Mexico. Meaning that Nieto could use the face off with Trump over the wall imbroglio, to stand tall again at home, temporarily.
Because, the more observers try to distance themselves from Trump's accusation that the open border between the U.S and Mexico has been serving as a source of entry for dangerous criminals into the U.S from Mexico, Trump's supporters point to the case of El Chapo, currently in the U.S for many crimes committed in the U.S., as a perfect example of dangerous Mexican criminals in the U.S.
Of course, despite the face off between the two leaders, the Los Angeles Times reported on Friday that Trump still made a phone call to Nieto on Friday morning, amid his busy schedule of receiving Theresa May, the British Prime Minister.
Trump is quoted as saying that himself and Nieto had a very good call," Trump reportedly told the media that he has been very strong on Mexico, but said that Mexico has out-negotiated the U.S. and beat the U.S. to a pulp and vows that the two countries will be to be working on a fair relationship and the United States cannot continue to lose vast amounts of business. Showing that he has much more than the wall issue to resolve in the U.S. relationship with Mexico.
