López Obrador in Washington: Trumps left, brother in the spirit

After one and a half years in office Mexico's President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador has left for the first Time his country. Ironically, according to Washington, the journey, which he completed as a "simple man" by the way, by the line of flight leads him. It is criticized López Obrador for the visit of the American President in a long time. The time was not opportune, said some. Trump will lead him around by the nose, warned the other. In fact, was in Washington for a Mexican President a mine field. The relationships are charged: Migration, drugs, corruption, racism – there is a lot of conflict.

Tjerk Brühwiller

Free Rapporteur for Latin America with headquarters in São Paulo.

But the two protagonists are likely to be harmonious. Officially, it is a subject of the Trump as López Obrador promises a positive Echo in the press and in the economy: the entry into force of the new North American free trade agreement USMCA.

the canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau will not be in the present, to celebrate the Nafta successor contract, to grieve seems neither Trump nor López Obrador. Both sell the agreement as a great success. And the two presidents have given their two countries in a devastating Corona of crisis is urgently needed. A welcome change from so.

Mexico the agreement

in fact, the new agreement can be viewed on both sides of the Río Bravo as a milestone. needs For Trump, it is one of the few results of the negotiations, he has to show for it at all. For López Obrador, the agreement is essential. Mexico's economy depends on the United States, where eighty percent of Mexican exports go. The Mexican economic performance, according to forecasts by the International monetary Fund this year to more than ten percent. López Obrador does not need the agreement in order not to lose the confidence of the investors.

If Trump needs López Obrador, and to what purpose, is another question. Observers suspect behind the cozying up to the election tactical Considerations. Trump could hope that at least some Latinos in the United States for oral use. At the same time, he may want to prove that the relationship with the neighbors I have by no means suffered so, how many opponents saw it before, as Trump promised to build a ten-Meter-high border wall.

This pre-election promises Trump has not met up today at all. Certainly not Mexico, has agreed to pay for such a wall, as Trump had again and again promised. But the American President has succeeded yet, the migrants from Central America to stop – thanks to López Obrador. Because of trump's threat to Mexico's punitive tariffs to impose on, to commit to López Obrador a tougher attitude against the migrants on Mexico's southern border. In addition, Mexico asylum-search houses, who want to in the United States, on its side of the border. If you will pay Mexico so indirectly, but for trump's "the wall", even if this is not available.

For Biden López Obrador's no time

Many of the Mexicans like this submission, and does not protect the help of López Obrador in favor of Trump. Therefore, the travel in Mexico is also criticized sharply: By doing Trump for a Favor, to help him in the election campaign, what to do in case of a defeat of Trump and of the victory of Joe the relations to a future Biden Biden administration could worsen. A Meeting with Biden excluded López Obrador, by the way. The former Mexican Ambassador in Washington, Arturo Sarukhan, wrote on Twitter that López Obrador do for a theatre prop for the election campaign of Trump. It was a colossal political mistake. His aggressive rhetoric against Mexico has temperate Trump since the arrival of López Obrador, however. It seems like there is a deeper brotherhood between the two.