Monthly Archives: June 2020
Costly Playthings
Luis Rubio Oil could have been a blessing -or the curse that López Velarde, a 19th century poet. ordained for Mexicans- but PEMEX is the grand ballast that is sinking public finances and, with these, the country. The distinction between these is key because it lies at the heart of the energy dispute the country […]
Can He Win?
Luis Rubio In democracies with re-election, the advantages for the incumbent are more than evident. However, I daresay that, for now, many months distant, the U.S. presidential election is Biden’s to lose, provided he knows how to win it, which is certainly not obvious. Joe Biden is the virtual winner of the Democratic Party nomination […]
Blame Politics for Mexico’s Recession, Not Just the Pandemic
Luis Rubio – Americas Quarterly – June 10, 2020 Mexico Blame Politics for Mexico’s Recession, Not Just the Pandemic The economy was shrinking long before the virus arrived. MEXICO CITY – The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has argued that the coronavirus crisis “fits like a glove.” He never clarified what he meant […]
The old Sugar-mill Model
Luis Rubio For the President, Mexico should return to its roots and attain happiness through a pathway of negation. That’s the vision he extols in a video* about an old sugar-mill, the trapiche, a primitive gig employed to extract juice from sugar cane as well as to use as an ore crusher in mining, a technology […]
Leaders
Luis Rubio The ability to help individuals to frame and achieve their objectives and reach them, that which is called leadership, is perhaps the most transcending factor that makes all the difference in times of crisis. The great leaders are forged during trying times: when, due to circumstances that transcend their control, the population needs […]
Prologue to Luis de la Calle: From the Economic and Equality Deficit to the Democratic Deficit
Prologue to Luis de la Calle: From the Economic and Equality Deficit to the Democratic Deficit* Prologue The world can appear static at times, but looking back, there is an ongoing process of change that transforms civilizations in the long run. Some say these changes occur every twenty years, an arbitrary period that nevertheless reflects […]