During an address Tuesday to members of the Guadalajara business community, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Roberta Jacobson underlined that whoever becomes the next occupant of the White House, the core relationship between the United States and Mexico will not be affected unduly.
It’s a diplomatic line that she has adhered to since taking up her appointment in May, but one that will be severely tested should Republican candidate Donald Trump score a surprise victory on November 8 and subsequently implement his polemic campaign promises regarding Mexico.
Jacobson doled out another snippet that longtime Mexico observers have heard many times previously from newly arrived envoys posted south of the border: “The bilateral relationship is better than ever,” she announced.
Jacobson said rather than focus on whether the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) should be renegotiated or revised, it is more prudent to recognize its results and the benefits it brings to all three cosignatory nations.
Jacobson suggested that collaborative efforts to confront the drug cartels and the insecurity that so troubles Mexican citizens have room for improvement, but did not talk about the huge demand for narcotics in the United States that fuels the trade in this country.
During her visit to the area, Jacobson met with the expatriate U.S. community in Ajijic (see story page one), visited with Jalisco Governor Aristoteles Sandoval, spoke at the inauguration of a Partners of the Americas conference and was guest of honor at a ceremony held at the ITESO university at which 50 women from municipal governments and civil society received graduation certificates after completing a leadership course that is cosponsored by the U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara.