Mexico Matters

In this episode, Mariana Campero is joined by Professor Rafael Fernández de Castro, Director of the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies at U.C. San Diego and former foreign policy advisor to Mexican President Felipe Calderón. They unpack his recent paper for the Aspen Strategy Group, which makes the case that U.S.-Mexico relations are facing their most acute breaking point since the 1920s.

From the economic impact of annual USMCA "rolling sunset" reviews to growing tension over U.S. extradition demands and visa revocations, the three foundational pillars of U.S.–Mexico relations—trade, migration, and national security—are being stressed simultaneously by both Washington’s protectionism and Mexico’s domestic policy choices. They also discuss how Mexico’s administration shifted from pragmatic engagement to open defiance over high-profile U.S. extraditions, and where the line on Mexican sovereignty is drawn, they discern how much of Mexico’s economic slowdown stems from trade and USMCA uncertainty versus domestic choices like judicial reform, and how Mexico’s plummeting fertility rate (1.2 nationally, 0.8 in Mexico City) rewrites the long-term migration equation and labor dynamics. Finally, Rafael recommends that Mexico should diversify its relationship with the White House by working on state-to-state alliances with U.S. governors to serve as a shield against White House changing priorities.

In this episode of Mexico Matters, Mariana Campero is joined by David Mora, Senior Analyst for Mexico at the International Crisis Group, for a candid, field-based examination of the escalating power of Mexican cartels and the controversial increase in bilateral intelligence cooperation.

Together, they unpack the subtleties and the realities of criminal territorial control and how criminal group dominance impacts everyday life and regional economies. They also explain how drone technologies are being weaponized by cartels, through improving cartels’ ability for control, surveillance, and waging war. They also discuss how President Claudia Sheinbaum has drawn a clear red line of cooperation with the United States and is not applying the same rules when it comes to prosecuting members of her own party. Finally, they speak about the systemic challenge of U.S. firearm trafficking into Mexico, and the future of cross-border intelligence sharing.

In this episode, Mariana Campero speaks with Valeria Moy, Director of IMCO and host of the Peras y Manzanas podcast. They kick off with a demographic shockwave: Mexico’s Statistics Institute, INEGI, released an intercensal figures which revealed that Mexico’s fertility rate plummeted to 1.2, with Mexico City dropping to an astonishing 0.8—lower than Tokyo. What does the rapid shattering of the "endless young labor supply" mean for the nation's pension system, long-term productivity, and labor market?

Beyond the demographic shift, they tackle Mexico’s persistent growth puzzle. Despite direct access to the world’s largest market, annual GDP growth remains stagnant at around 2% (or lower). Valeria unpacks the structural bottlenecks, fiscal handcuffs left behind by previous infrastructure projects, low tax revenues due to an informal economy, and the widening gap between nearshoring hype and actual foreign direct investment.

From the trade-offs of the "Super Peso" to the real economic costs of judicial uncertainty and insecurity, this episode delivers a sharp, reality-grounded look at what it will take for President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration to unlock real potential growth or not.

In this episode, Mariana Campero sits down with Guillermo García Alcocer, former chairman of Mexico’s Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) and one of the region’s premier energy policy experts. Together, they break down Mexico’s dramatic shift from a dominant energy exporter to a country relying on the U.S. for over 70% of its refined fuels and natural gas. They explore the strategic trade-offs and vulnerabilities of this dependence on cheap American gas, as well as the pragmatic policy shifts being implemented to power Mexico's booming manufacturing sector and data centers.

They also discuss the unrealistic outlook for Mexico’s new policy on fracking, Pemex’s mounting debt burden, and why public-private "mixed contracts" struggled to attract bidders.

Finally, they look at the broader regional landscape, examining how the rise of energy players in Guyana, Brazil, and Venezuela could permanently redirect vital capital away from Mexico, and why Mexico’s own energy policies mean fewer companies are moving to Mexico.

In this episode, Mariana sits down with Andres Martinez, journalist, Co-Director of the Great Game Lab at Arizona State University, and author of the gripping new book, The Great Game: A Tale of Two Footballs and America’s Quest to Conquer Global Sport.

Together, they decode the massive forces driving soccer from the American fringes into the mainstream.  From the explosive evolution of the tournament since 2024 to becoming a global blueprint for women’s soccer, they break down how American capital is aggressively buying into and controlling historic European clubs, among others. 

They also look ahead to the expanded 48-team World Cup. What are the realistic odds for Mexico and the United States teams to survive the brutal new Round 32 and move beyond? 

Finally, they dive into a fascinating, high stakes human story unfolding on the U.S.-Mexico border, where scouts from both federations fiercely battle to recruit the next generation of dual-national stars.