Mexico Outlook and U. S. Relations

Congress has maintained significant interest in Mexico and played an important role in shaping bilateral relations. Recently, the centrist Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) that governed Mexico from 1929 to 2000 retook the presidency after 12 years of rule by the conservative National Action Party (PAN) in the 1 July 2012 elections. The party also captured a plurality in Mexico's Senate and Chamber of Deputies. PRI President Enrique Pena Nieto, a former governor of the state of Mexico, took office on 1 December 2012, pledging to enact bold structural reforms and broaden relations with the United States beyond security issues. This book provides an overview of the leadership, priorities, and prospects for Mexico's new administration. An analysis of how those priorities may affect key bilateral issues of interest to the 113th Congress is discussed with a focus on assessing the Pena Nieto Administration and its impact on U.S.-Mexican relations.