Can Mexico Become an Emerging Power?

Hernán F. Gómez Bruera, professor and postdoctoral fellow at the Public Policy Division of the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económica in Mexico City, has published a new article. His piece, To Be or Not To Be: Has Mexico Got What It Takes to Be an Emerging Power?, appeared August 2015 in the South African Journal of International Affairs. The article is an assessment of Mexico’s missed steps and missed opportunities to become an influential global player. Gómez Bruera makes the comparison between Mexico and the BRICS nations—with particular emphasis on Brazil—observing that while Mexico has the means to be a significant middle power nation, four key elements are impeding Mexico’s ascension into the “emerging powers club.” These elements include Mexico’s limited ability to influence multilateral institutions; its problematic “international identity as a ‘bridge’ country between the North and the South;” its position as a “status quo” rather than a revisionist nation; and its lack of regional leadership.

The full article is available here. 

Photo by Cristiano Oliveira | CC BY-NC 2.0