AMAC Exclusive – By Daniel Berman
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Nothing says friendship like being asked to use the servants’ entrance. That is precisely what Mexico’s President Andres Maria Lopez Obrador, otherwise known as AMLO, requested of Joe Biden last week, when he asked that Air Force One land at a distant regional airport rather than Mexico City’s main hub. Lest there be any doubt about the nature of the power move, the Mexican President also sent Biden a list of topics to be discussed.
U.S.-Mexico relations have been on a downward trajectory since Biden entered office. The problem is not ideological but cultural. For the Biden team, politics is what it has been to Democrats since the 2016 election and Russiagate: a struggle between “democracy” and “authoritarianism”. The irony, not lost on AMLO, is that this is a fundamentally imperialist outlook, in which foreign leaders are expected to subordinate the interests of their own countries to proclaiming fealty to Democrats’ view of America’s domestic politics. AMLO has not only refused to play ball, but openly called out the absurdity of the attitude.
AMLO, who lost the 2006 Mexican election under circumstances he continues to view as dubious, delayed congratulating Biden on his victory until the results were certified. Instead, in the days after the election, he expressed criticism of the bias of the U.S. media. “In Mexico, we’re accustomed to how they used to censor us,” he said in a morning press conference on Nov. 9. “But in the case of the United States, what happened is something special.”
AMLO has remained an outspoken critic of social media censorship, and when Elon Musk conducted a poll on whether Donald Trump’s account should be restored, the Mexican President proudly announced his support, tweeting “I already voted for Trump to be able to use Twitter. The Statue of Liberty must not remain an empty symbol.”
The Biden administration and prominent Democrats were quick to treat this as a hostile act. Julian Castro, who served in Obama’s cabinet, declared, “This represents a true diplomatic failure from the president of Mexico.” Relations struggled from there, with the New York Times claiming that the Mexican president “already missed Donald Trump”.
The key problem in Mexican-American relations is not that Mexico is governed by someone who is anti-American, but rather that it is governed by someone who is determined not to be told what to do by the media, elites, or foreign governments. Precisely because Biden views Mexico as existing to do what the U.S. wants when it wants it, whether on the border, Latin America, or Russia-Ukraine, AMLO feels obligated to prove he will not. That is the key to understanding his behavior in July and highly tense meeting with Biden then, and also the otherwise incomprehensible nonsense which has attended planning for this trip.
The Mexican President is used to allowing the United States to drive the agenda for these meetings. That is why it is significant that Mexico has announced it will send a letter outlining the topics to be covered during a summit, then further informed the media when it had done so. This placed Biden in the position of either staying silent and allowing everyone to assume AMLO decided the agenda, or publicly challenging the contents of an unreleased letter, which could then be disclosed to make the United States look unreasonable.
Hence the issue of protocol. In his press conference, AMLO requested Biden not utilize Mexico City’s main airport for Air Force One, but instead a regional airport more than 30 miles away. AMLO’s statement carried no cover or excuses.
AMLO has also made clear what he wants from the United States, or at least Joe Biden. He wants Joe Biden to prove “friendship” by debasing himself, by accepting AMLO’s right to determine the agenda for the summit, and by agreeing to in effect enter and leave Mexico through the backdoor. It is remarkably similar to how the Saudi Crown Prince denied Joe Biden the royal audience offered to both Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, seemingly in retaliation for similar mistreatment.
It is also a sign that AMLO doesn’t really need the summit as much as Biden does. If he did, he would not risk pushing Biden into walking out. Biden cannot deliver on migration, both for domestic political and legal reasons, and he has no interest in offering anything else. AMLO already has a trade deal. The only payment AMLO can receive from the visit is prestige, and he seems to have concluded he can maximize that either by playing tough with Biden or having Biden pull out.
Biden, on the other hand is trapped. Not physically, but by the myths Democrats have constructed. Democrats have imagined a moral arc of the universe in which “democracy” triumphed with the defeat of Donald Trump, in which identity politics drives policy, and in which support for their fervent anti-Russian sentiment and other foreign policy predispositions are non-negotiable. It is less important to Democrats that they do anything to improve the situation on the border than that they never concede Mexico and Mexicans might not actually share their views on illegal immigration.
If Democrats did admit this, having justified their unpopular positions on the basis of solidarity with “Mexicans” and denounced opponents of their views as racist, Democrats would have to question who precisely they are pursuing the policy for. Biden and his allies have created a situation in which they now have to pay in concrete terms for leaders like AMLO to mouth the words they want to hear about migration and Ukraine, and in the process they have given leaders like AMLO the power to insultingly demand to be paid for doing so.
An interesting element is exactly how irrelevant Justin Trudeau is to these proceedings. He is not important enough for Mexico to insult, nor relevant enough to mediate for Biden. Canada’s soft power always was greatest under Republican presidents, when a Canadian Prime Minister could act as a de facto liberal opposition leader on the international stage, as Jean Chretien did in opposing the Iraq War, and Trudeau himself did under Donald Trump. But it tends to be that when Democrats are in the White House, the most liberal Canadian leaders aspire to is a supporting role. His identification with the “anti-Trump” global current during the Trump years makes the idea that he could mediate between Biden and AMLO a laughable one.
The conclusion revealed by the summit is stunning. North American relations may have had points of tension while Donald Trump was president, but the United States remained the driving force. Donald Trump achieved a new trade deal with Mexico and Canada, and a border agreement with Mexico—productive developments.
Under Biden, North American relations are defined by U.S.-Mexican tensions and driven by the needs of both leaders for some “prestige” on the world stage. All parties involved have given up on the idea of accomplishing anything concrete of the sort Trump did on trade and the border.
Daniel Berman is a frequent commentator and lecturer on foreign policy and political affairs, both nationally and internationally. He holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from the London School of Economics. He also writes as Daniel Roman.
Joe Biden’s Presidency is a thin balloon that is near the bursting point of sanity. I fear the next few coming months.
Kind of a convoluted article, that seemed overly focused on where Air Force One was allowed to land rather than the subjects to be discussed during the meeting. Obviously allowing Biden to travel anywhere outside the United States opens up the possibility that Biden will utter some statement or statemnts that the White House will have to frantically have to “walk back” or correct without the benefit of the American press being able to completely supress the flubs. So basically another golden opportunity for our dementia-riddled President to show the world why he is so completely unfit to hold office.
With John Kerry in tow on this trip, it is pretty clear the main emphasis of this meeting will be centered around climate change posturing. No doubt Biden or Kerry will spend a lot of time emphasizing how all 3 countries are fully committed to the climate change agenda and its target goals no matter how much damage is inflicted on all 3 countries in the process.
I don’t expect much time will be devoted to any discussion of the mass migration of what seems to be most of South America into the United States through Mexico, because that is NOT a subject Biden or the Democrats have any interest in addressing. Biden did his little, carefully crafted photo op yesterday, so now after nearly 50 years he can say he has visited the southern border. Problem solved in his mind. The Democrats are getting their new voter base imported into the United States, so they are all smiles leading up to 2024 and beyond.
AMLO seems content to concentrate on trying to nationalize whatever industries are still profitable in Mexico to try and make himself another Chavez, so he is happy to allow the drug cartels to the run the rest of the country and control Mexico’s northern border with the United States. Trudeau is still basking in the glow of having made legalized euthanasia of the sick an acceptable healthcare practice in Canada. So all in all, the 3 leaders are pretty full of themselves. As for the people of all 3 countries, well lets just say they are on their own.
The reality of this Administration is that Joe Biden is an incompetent disgrace who doesn’t have a clue on what is going on at the border or about anything else. He’s a habitual liar who lies about everything all the time. Americans should be leaving the Democrats in mass because their goal is to destroy all that is good for the American people.
All DICTATOR Beijing biden had to do was FINISH the WALL and he wouldn’t be doing a photo op 3 years later hundreds of miles away from epicenter of his ILLEGAL ALIEN TERRORIST INVASION acting like he cares about Border Security and National Security.
This is what happens with a ILLEGAL and UNCONSTITUTIONAL so-called president who told ALL the Illegals to cross border illegally into the USA.
His ILLEGAL ALIEN TERRORIST INVASION is about eliminating White Americans and having them vote ILLEGALLY for his Socialist/Communist Party in 2024.
It’s called: BRIBERY at Tax Payers Expense and loss of USA Sovereignty.
Pure Un-American.
Was No where near Eagle Pass TX area, Pure Photo Op only
Rigged for show & No Go
Perhaps AMLO should follow Democrats’ example of “meeting on the tarmac.”
Jack*ss Josef Biden NEEDS a 1 way ticket to Mexico and a promise of a basement dwelling in a Retirement Home!
Everyone with a brain, citizen of the U.S., misses Donald Trump.
The problem is with Dems. ,and M<edia Eliete. Lyle L.
Pedojo the sniffer belongs in GTMO, yesterday
Biden does NOT know how to negotiate ANYTHING!!!
Traitor-Joe, how many Americans have you Killed Today.. on our borders, in our cities, on our streets, our police, and you being the Biggest Drug dealer with Your Fentanyl. Have a Nice Day Sniffer go have some Ice-cream with your biggest supporter Coward Pelosi and the rest of your Communist Democrats in the Peoples House ..
Anything the brain dead lying dementia patient is involved in is worthless in terms of meaning, other than to strengthen the wannabe dictators power. Frankly, I don’t give a rats behind if we, under this turd in the punchbowl, run the reason for the meeting or not. They are a sovereign country not our footstool.
The above article was very to the point. As always I find no fault with the writer, something has to be said. I am glad someone has the character to criticize the LEFT whenever wherever. My greatest concern as I casually watch the Boden administration and how they function or not function, is who is really running this Dog and Pony show. Somewhere in a deep dark backroom, decisions are being made, plans are in the process that will impact everyone left and right alike in this country and those plans are being acted upon everyday. There is much more going on than anyone would ever admit to or understand. The Sum of All Fears is fully in play. Yes the everyday average American is own their own, There is an old saying, coined by Teddy Roosevelt if I recall, it has to do with when to act.
” To do Nothing is the Greatest Failure of all”. I applaud the President of Mexico in his blantant effort to put these morons and their Magical PIPER in their place. WOW ! The President of Mexico tells the President of The UNITED STATES where he can and can’t land his plane ! I am surprised AMLO even went that far, allowing the plane to land at all. Or even agreeing to meet Boden.
Weakness and instabilities beyond any questions that most people see in Biden makes this a bad idea for the American Citizens.
When we send a 50 year long political hack that has obvious senior mental health problems, and has even more problems with telling the truth about everything, to discuss such a good trade agreement with our 2 closest friends, we will lose.
Help us please and just say No.
It shows there is no respect for Biden and those in the White House countries are watching and laugh at what is going on in this country at least when President Trump was in office they had respect. Biden is weak and that goes for is so called VP as well and those in his office very sad what has happened in this country.
The world leaders have figured out quickly that FJB is so stupid it is a waste of their time to meet with him. I figure it’ll be a couple of photos and then FJB will be sent off to find a left handed Crescent wrench.
What a pathetic showing for our illustrious commander in chief with Mexican/Canadian leaders.
Very embarrassing to say the least. Our country has hit an all time low after the 2020 election. Will it ever be back to the way it was with DJT at the helm. Low unemployment, national patriotism, surging economy before pre planned pandemic to make swing states allow sketchy balloting rules. Oh no ,can’t say a thing questioning validity of 20 election . God help the USA!
Of course Biden received a less than warm welcome in Mexico. No world leader likes or respects Biden. since Biden is so mentally deficient it’s a waste of their time.