Introduction
Mexico and the United Kingdom have strong diplomatic relations that dates back to the 1800’s. Mexico was colonized by Spain and became independent in 1810 (Knight 66). The United Kingdom was the first country from Europe to recognize Mexico’s royal authority and freedom from external control.
This formed the basis of the prolonged ties between the two countries. One of the factors that contributed to the development of this relationship was the desire by both parties to end slavery, which culminated in the signing of a treaty in 1837 (Knight 79).
Over the years, the United Kingdom has been Mexico’s close ally and supporter in various engagements. In the infamous Pastry War that involved France and Mexico in 1838, the United Kingdom supported the latter. Eventually, the war ended the following year after Mexico expressed agreement with the peremptory requests made by France.
These demands strengthened the relationship between Mexico and the United Kingdom because the latter always remained alert incase France developed any further interests in Mexico (Knight 92). Over the years, there have been several state visits between the two countries, as each of their subsequent regimes always make the effort to maintain the relationship.
Seven Mexican presidents have made a combined total of 12 visits to the United Kingdom since 1973. On the other hand, the United Kingdom has made 10 visits to Mexico since 1966 by either the prime minister or a member of the royal family (Dickie 136).
The Mexican embassy in the United Kingdom is based in London, while Mexico City hosts the British delegacy. In addition, the United Kingdom has a diplomatic building that serves as the residence or workplace of its consul in Monterrey, an industrial city in northeastern Mexico.
Discussion
The diplomatic relationship between Mexico and the United Kingdom also incorporates the aspects of trade partnerships, cultural exchange, education, tourism, science, and governance. In 1861, the United Kingdom learnt that emperor Napoleon III had the intention to take advantage of the United States involvement in the civil war to expand its territory (Knight 100).
The civil war made it hard for the United States to execute the Monroe doctrine that was authored by the fifth American president. These interests led to the second French intervention in Mexico, which came at a time when Spain, the United Kingdom, and France had navy troops in the country with the intention of pressuring President Benito Juarez to pay the money owed to them (Dickie 140).
This led to the united kingdom pulling out its forces from Mexico in solidarity with its ally because their continued presence would strengthen the efforts of the French delegation (Knight 107). The French interests resulted in the creation of the second Mexican empire that lasted for three years under the leadership of Emperor Maximilian I. This period destabilized Mexico and later led the country into a civil war from 1910 to 1920 (Garner 36).
The aftermath of the war threatened to break the relationship between Mexico and the United Kingdom because of the leadership style used by President Lazaro Cardenas. In 1938, the president made a bold move of depriving foreign countries their possessions and kicking them out of the country (Garner 41). The United Kingdom was very angered by this move and their efforts to have its companies compensated by the Mexican government did not bear any positive results (Rippy 30).
This meant that the two countries became detached, and the United Kingdom felt the need to condemn the actions of the Mexican government. Together with the United States, they decided to mobilize the other affected countries to cut off any trade relations with Mexico in a bid to crumble its economy (Garner 50).
This was meant to make the country learn the importance of foreign investors and the need to accord them the right treatment. This move served them right, as Mexico went through an extremely hard financial period characterized by the lack of a market for its oil and other products.
However, a decision by Mexico in 1942 to fight the alliance of Germany, Italy, Japan and other countries during World War II brought it back together with the United Kingdom (Knight 125). This played a crucial role in the reestablishment of the relationship between the two countries, which was almost getting to a point of never reverting to its previous state.
However, their cooperation during the war was advantageous because they started plans to set up embassies. The United Kingdom opened its embassy in Mexico City and appointed Sir Charles Bateman as their first diplomat (Dickie 161). On the other hand, Mexico set up its legation in London and appointed Alfonso Diaz as their first envoy (Daudelin 30).
This helped to stabilize the relations between the two countries that reignited their trade partnership. This involved creation of direct flights between London and Mexico City, a phenomenon that indicated the commitment from both parties towards making the best out of the relationship (Garner 59).
Cooperation between political leaders
According to international relations experts, one of the strongest indicators of good political relations between countries is the existence and frequency of state visits. Mexico and the United Kingdom have had visits between since their relationship started. The first visit was made in Mexico by Prince Charles of Wales in 1966 (Knight 201).
To date, he is the member of the royal family to have made the most visits to the country because he went there again in 1970, 1993, 2002, and 2014. The other royal to have visited Mexico is Queen Elizabeth, who visited Mexico twice in 1975 and 1983 (Dickie 200). British Prime ministers Margret Thatcher, Tony Blair, and David Cameron have each made state visits to Mexico once.
On the other hand, seven Mexican presidents have made state visits to the United Kingdom. President Luis Echeverria made the first visit in 1973 (Knight 210). Other Mexican presidents that have visited the United Kingdom include Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado, Carlos Salinas de Gortari, Ernesto Zedillo, Vicente Fox, Felipe Calderon, and Enrique Pena Nieto (Daudelin 80). Over the years, the frequency with which the two countries have been paying each other state visits has been a clear indication that the relationship has been yielding positive results.
One of the notable outcomes of the diplomatic relations between Mexico and the United Kingdom is the creation of the British Mexican society. The organization was created in 1942 in the United Kingdom by the Mexican envoy with an intention to help reestablish the broken friendship between the two countries (Johnston 2).
This organization helped to convince the British government about the Mexican intentions to restore the friendship and probably set up embassies to help forge the partnership. Another objective of forming this organization was to promote the culture and value system of the Mexicans in the United Kingdom (Johnston 3).
Over the years, the population of Mexicans in the country has grown immensely. Some of the country’s regions that have the highest number of Mexican population include London, Liverpool, Manchester, Cambridge, Oxford, and Warwick among others (Johnston 5).
The Mexican population in the country is comprised of students, the working class, and those born in the country. This group makes up the biggest percentage of the population. However, reports indicate that there are a growing number of Mexican domestic workers. Reports indicate that most of these workers are brought into the country illegally, thus they often face high risks of deportation for lack of work permits (Johnston 9).
On the other hand, the number of Britons living and working in Mexico has also increased significantly over the years. According to international relations experts, the signing of a free trade agreement between the two countries opened a lot of opportunities for investors from the United Kingdom to set up businesses in Mexico (Johnston 12). This development has boosted the country’s economy by reducing the rate of unemployment and increasing the number of taxable people.
Diplomatic relations between Mexico and the United Kingdom also touch a lot on the global menace of drug trafficking. Mexico is one of the main sources of the main drugs such as cocaine, which is traded in various countries such as the United Kingdom. Since this business is largely done illegally through the black market, the United Kingdom feels that there is an urgent need to fight the menace from its roots (Dickie 220).
This problem has on many occasions threatened to create rifts between the two countries that have been trade partners for a very long time. Reports indicate that a sizeable amount of drugs sold in the European market from Mexico is smuggled through the United Kingdom (Daudelin 107).
In addition, the cartels that run this business have their strongest networks in England, which has a market with a higher potential than any other country in Europe. The most unfortunate aspect about this phenomenon is the fact that British port officials and flight workers are strongly involved in the work of these cartels who try to look for easy avenues to smuggle the drugs (Dickie 226).
In one of the landmark rulings in the fight against drug trafficking, some British nationals were jailed for 77 years earlier this year for their involvement in the illegal business. According to political analysts, this was a clear indication that the United Kingdom was willing to do anything to address the problem and expected Mexico to also deliver on their side of the bargain by taking strong legal action on their citizens involved in the business.
Reports indicate that the political relations between the two countries has benefited Mexico a lot, especially through the free trade agreement signed by members of the European union. The fact that the United Kingdom is a member of the European Union its trade relations with Mexico have been growing every year. The United Kingdom imports a number of commodities from Mexico.
On the other hand, some of the main commodities that Mexico imports from the United Kingdom include medicine, transistors, and alcohol (Daudelin 119). A close examination of the diplomatic ties between the two countries shows that there is a lot more in store and the best is yet to be experienced.
According to President Enrique Pena Nieto, Mexicans have always been humbled every time their country gets associated with the United Kingdom (Dickie 244). He argues that the rate of cultural development experienced in Mexico over the last several years is largely due to the influence of the United Kingdom through its citizens living there, as well as the high number of interactions between the two countries (Dickie 245).
One of the recent developments from this partnership has been the creation of a dual year that involves celebration of cultural, educational, and commercial interactions between the two countries. The celebrations are carried out throughout the year across a number of events that help to showcase British creativity in Mexico and vice versa.
In addition, the event aims at promoting creativity among the youth in both countries. According to political analysts, the dual year is a clear indication of political maturity by both countries that has allowed them to respect each others identity and create space for the growth of their friendship.
Mexico has derived a lot of benefits from its diplomatic association with the United Kingdom. One of the most important lessons that Mexico has learnt is the importance of promoting good governance and respect for human rights (Daudelin 200).
These are some of the elements that have made the United Kingdom one of the most successful and highly developed countries in the world. This has created a good avenue for good relationships between people from both countries through tourism.
Reports indicate that the number of tourists from one country visiting the other has been increasing every year over the last couple of decades (Daudelin 206). Both countries believe that the launch of the dual year will generate more benefits because the level of familiarity with the culture and governance structures applied by the others through the creation of a common value system.
Conclusion
Mexico and the United Kingdom have enjoyed strong diplomatic relations for a very long time. Despite a few differences and conflicting interests in the beginning, Mexico and the United Kingdom have managed to hold on to their partnership and build it into one of the most recognizable ones in the world.
Political analysts argue that there are numerous lessons about diplomatic relations that other countries across the world can learn from this friendship. It has generated numerous benefits for all the parties involved, especially in the fields of trade, cultural exchange, and governance.
Together, both Mexico and the United Kingdom have membership to the United Nations and G-20 major economies among other global organizations. One of the most interesting aspects about the relationship between these two countries is their commonly shared vision and value system that has made it easy for subsequent leaders to strengthen it long after it was started.
Another notable characteristic feature is the high number of state visits between the two countries. According to international relations experts, this is always an indicator of blossoming diplomatic relations that are built on the basis of shared interests and an aligned development plan.
It is important to note that the two countries launched a program called the dual year, which allows the two countries to showcase their culture, latest innovations, and plans for educational development in order to increase the familiarity of their allies.
Works Cited
Daudelin, Jean. Beyond Mexico. New York: McGill-Queen’s Press, 2010. Print.
Dickie, John. The New Mandarins: How British Foreign Policy Works. London: I.B. Tauris, 2013. Print.
Garner, Paul. British Lions and Mexican Eagles: Business, Politics, and Empire in the Career of Weetman Pearson in Mexico, 1889-1919. California: Stanford University Press, 2011. Print.
Johnston, Henry. The British Mexican Society: Origins and Early Days. London: British Mexican Society, 2009. Print.
Knight, Alan. The Mexican Revolution: Counter-revolution and Reconstruction. Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 2010. Print.
Rippy, Merrill. Oil and the Mexican Revolution. New York: Brill Archive, 2011. Print.