1st Edition
Role Theory and Mexico's Foreign Policy Making Sense of Mexico’s Place in World Politics
Role Theory and Mexico’s Foreign Policy examines why Mexico has an unusual foreign policy for a middle-power country.
Using a series of case studies to show how role conflict has operated in Mexico’s foreign policy, Omar Loera-González studies three specific settings where Mexico could have displayed middle-power behaviour. First, he analyses Mexico’s controversial membership and performance in the Iraq crisis within the Security Council of the United Nations from 2002 to 2003. The second case study examines Mexico’s ambition to display a regional leadership role in regional multilateral bodies like the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Pacific Alliance (PA). In the third and final case study, Loera-González focuses on Mexico’s engagement in human rights and democracy promotion. Conflicting expectations from several actors – domestic and external – have led to a foreign policy contradictory to what is expected for a country with Mexico's material capabilities and its foreign policy objectives.
This book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers who work on and with foreign policy analysis and role theory, or to those with a research interest on Mexico.
1. Introduction and historical context
2. Theoretical and methodological framework
3. Historical background of Mexico’s foreign policy
4. Involvement of Mexico in the Security Council of the United Nations during the Iraq crisis
5. Mexico’s involvement in the creation and performance of CELAC
6. Adoption of liberal values in Mexico’s foreign policy
7. Conclusions: Findings, contributions, and future avenues of research
Bibliography
Biography
Omar A. Loera-González is a researcher at Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE) in Mexico City. He was awarded a Ph.D. by the University of Edinburgh in 2021. He is the recipient of the 2019–21 Carlos Fuentes award for the most outstanding UK-based Mexican researcher in Social Sciences. His research interests include Mexican foreign policy, foreign policy analysis, and role theory. Loera-González has also published works on migration and intercultural issues.
WINNER MODESTO SEARA VAZQUEZ BEST BOOK AWARD
"This is an empirically rich, leading-edge, and theoretically innovative study of Mexican foreign policy during several critical periods for international politics and Mexico's domestic politics. It will be rewarding reading for advanced students and academics alike."
Mark Aspinwall, Professor of Politics, Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE)
"An impressive analysis of Mexican foreign policy using role theory. A must read for International Relations scholars and students interested in foreign policy analysis."
Jorge Schiavon, Professor of International Relations, Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE)
"A compelling, extensive, and rigorously researched study, this book addresses puzzling aspects of Mexico’s foreign policy. Rich comparative case studies and theoretically driven analysis reveal the complex interplay of both domestic politics and international pressures, bringing clarity and novel insights about Mexico’s curious role in world politics."
Ryan Beasley, Senior Lecturer, University of St. Andrews
